XCOM: RWBY Within
by DrAmishMD
Summary: A strange anomaly causes the members of Team RWBY to find themselves in the midst of Earth's full-scale alien invasion with no way of returning to Remnant.
1. Prologue

**IF YOU'RE READING THIS STORY FOR THE FIRST TIME PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE CONTINUING:** Hey, so it looks like you've stumbled upon my story. Awesome! I hope you like it. However, there is one important detail that you need to know before deciding whether you want to continue or not. You see, back when I was first forming the idea for this story, before I even wrote a word of the Prologue, I made a particular design choice. To me, it seemed like a pretty logical way of handling things, but it turned out to be a pretty polarizing choice among readers. So polarizing, in fact, that I've had more negative comments and reviews about this one point than any other in the story. So in the interest of saving everyone some potential grief, I'm going to reveal this plot point four chapters early.

The Remnant huntresses find themselves completely locked out of their Aura when they arrive at XCOM. It's not permanent, but it lasts for a good chunk of the story.

Most people who read the story have either thought to themselves "I don't agree with that change, but it's not my story, so I'll just see where DrAmish takes it," or "Hey, that's an interesting way of equalizing the inconsistency between the power levels of Rookies and Huntresses. Works for me." Of course, this being the internet, a lot of people did NOT handle this story point gracefully or respectfully. I don't mind people expressing dissatisfaction with parts of my story, but it's another thing entirely to tell me "I can't read this story anymore. You've ruined it completely."

Still with me? Great! With that business out of the way, we can get to the actual story. Despite that downer-of-a-warning I have up top, I honestly had a great time with my first serious attempt at a multi-chapter fanfiction.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Wait, what did you do? _Shut it down!_ "

The supervisor currently on duty at the Hyperwave Relay wasn't exactly sure what the thing actually did. There were a lot of funny equations and theorems that people far smarter than he were able to interpret and use to construct it, and even then Dr. Vahlen herself admitted that she didn't entirely understand. What the supervisor _did_ know, was that the Relay had started spinning more rapidly, and general experience had taught him that mysterious objects that began to behave differently than normal had a tendency to be on the verge of some kind of event. Usually a very dangerous event.

"Do not touch anything! This could be what we've been waiting for!"

The supervisor looked up to see the Chief Scientist herself, accompanied by Chief Engineer Dr. Shen, had entered the room. If she was telling him to keep it running, he wasn't about to cross her. Even so, she was well-known at XCOM for her nerves of steel and pushing forward on research before adequate safety protocols had been established. "We don't have time to wait around for such measures," she had been known to say.

It seemed that this would be another one of those situations, unfortunately. Sparks began to fly as the central component of the relay began to rotate faster and faster. Where before the supervisor had marveled at the ability of Shen's boys to create such a structurally sound device, he was now hoping that the damn thing wouldn't fly apart and skewer everyone in the room. Dr. Shen himself seemed to hold similar concerns.

"It's ripping itself apart! Shut it down, now! It could destroy the whole base!"

 _Thank God for Shen. Vahlen can't override that kind of-_

"Nein! Give it time. For once, trust me."

 _God DAMMIT._

The only satisfaction the supervisor got was the withering glare Dr. Shen was giving his colleague. It was short-lived, however, as the other technician on staff piped up and asked the engineer, "Sir! What's it doing now?"

Indeed, the relay had stopped sparking and spinning wildly out of control. It was still spinning faster than it was yesterday, true, but at a safe clip now. Shen turned around to look at the machine and try to assess for himself what was happening.

"It's... working." replied the elderly engineer.

The supervisor could see that it was doing something different. The previously white glow emitting from the machine's insides had turned to a cool yellow, and the RPM of the core seemed to stabilize. The relay seemed to be under control.

That was, of course, until the portal to who-knows-where opened up above the machine.

* * *

"Ruby! Wait up!"

The young team leader ignored her best friend and raced ahead. Ruby and Yang had made a bet to see who could kill the most Grimm on the mission, and Ruby wasn't about to let her big sister snipe this one simply because Weiss was lagging behind. She readied Crescent Rose, ducked under the Beowulf's laughable attempt at an attack, and sliced the Grimm in twain. Ruby spun around, skidded to a halt, and beamed at Weiss who had caught up to the clearing by now. The previous look of annoyance on her face was now replaced with a look of fear.

"Behind you!"

Ruby turned to face whatever silly little Grimm Weiss was worried abo- and it was a pack of Ursai. Six of them. Majors.

Wonderful.

"Uh... Weiss? Any suggestions?" Ruby, who was slowly backing up while the Grimm were slowly advancing, was now standing next to her partner. The heiress gave a few idle swings of Myrtenaster before responding.

"If it was only two of them? I'd say we could take them on easily. Four, and we'd have to be careful. Six, though? Six, we should definitely let Yang and Blake that the party is over here."

"But my bet..." Ruby whined. If Yang showed up, it would only mean a greater chance of her getting more kills than Ruby, and that was not a thought the scythe wielder was happy about.

"Well, _maybe_ you wouldn't have jeopardized your stupid bet if you _hadn't_ charged into the clearing at the lone Beowulf like a piece of cheese in a mouse trap! For now, we evade, poke, and test for weak points while we wait for the other two to get here. Now fire a flare and get ready to dance."

Ruby groaned, loaded a flare round into her Crescent rose, and shot it skyward before readying herself to handle the Ursai.

The Grimm, it seemed, grew tired of waiting, as they began charging at high speed towards the pair of huntresses. This was easily evaded, as the lumbering beasts aren't particularly known for their agility. The sniper rounds Ruby shot into the back of one of the Majors bounced off harmlessly. This wasn't going to be easy.

The next minute was a slow, careful waltz between the two students and the six Ursai. The Grimm tried several different tactics to kill the pair: formation charge, circling, splitting up, and just simply being an unruly mob of coiled muscle and deadly claws. Nothing seemed effective, as Ruby and Weiss deftly sidestepped all of their assaults. However, the two of them had little luck in countering these attacks with damage of their own. There was just too many of them to be able to safely focus on one long enough to kill it.

Help, however, eventually arrived, heralded by the tell-tale explosive sounds of Ember Celica. Oh, and Yang's adrenaline-fueled yelling. That also made it pretty easy to tell that the cavalry was coming. The Grimm paused mid-charge to look up into the sky at the flaming projectile hurtling towards them. As it closed in, Ruby was able to make out Yang adopting a Superman pose as she rocketed towards the ground, with Blake crouched on her back. With about 30 feet remaining before landfall, the faunus deftly flipped off of Yang's back and landed gracefully next to Ruby and Weiss.

Yang's entrance was, predictable, more explosive. It almost looked like a small bomb had gone off in the midst of the Ursan pack, and all six Grimm were unceremoniously knocked back from the force of the impact. The huntresses were trained well enough to capitalize on such a disadvantage rather than gawk at the explosion. All three of them tore into the nearest Ursa Major, swiftly eviscerating the Grimm before it could recover. With the Grimm's numbers reduced to five and the number of huntresses bolstered to four, the fight just got a lot more fair.

Yang's... explosive presence coupled with Blake's confusing semblance allowed the pair to occupy the attention of the majority of the Ursai while Ruby and Weiss focused on the remaining two. The Grimm's numbers were easily reduced to three, then to one, and then to zero. The assembled team RWBY, slightly panting, paused to admire their handiwork. A rustle in the tree-line behind them caused the four students to turn around.

"Hold on, I'm coming! I'll help you killaaaaaaaaand they're all dead. Alright, well. Good job! You got them all! Hooray..." A very deflated Jaune Arc slowed to a halt by the clearing's edge as he saw RWBY standing in the center surrounded by six very dead, very large Ursai. With a sigh, he folded his shield and sheathed his sword. Hands in his pockets, he shuffled towards his friends.

"Jaune? What... why are you here?"

"Oh... heh. Yeah, funny story, that one. I was in the forest for... ahem... reasons, and I saw a flare go up. Naturally, I assumed someone was in danger and rushed off at once to help! But, I guess you guys were fine on your own." The leader of team JNPR struck a heroic pose, as if to help convey his reasons for running towards Ruby's flare. "But, I guess you guys were fine on your own."

Ruby held a hand up to her face to hide a giggle as she watched the young man break his pose as his arms fell to his sides and his head hung in a combination of embarrassment and shame. It was almost as if she could see his hopes for the chance to be a hero shattering and falling apart before her very eyes. Yang laughed, walked over to the leader of JNPR, and gave him a "friendly" smack on the shoulder. His slight wince went unnoticed by the brawler.

"Jaune, cheer up! We may have not needed you this time, but you never know in the future!" Her eyes narrowed into an expression that Ruby immediately understood as 'I'm going to embarrass the shit out of you.'

"Who knows, Jaune? Maybe next time it'll be a certain lovely red-haired lass that'll need your help." She grinned as she elbowed her friend conspiratorially. "Oh Jaune!" She mimicked "Thank you for saving me! How can I _ever_ repay you?"

Yang's teasing, of course, was entirely wasted on Jaune, who just laughed and replied, "Pyrrha? In trouble? Hah, the day that happens will be the day I- wait, the last time I said something like that, I had to wear a dress. MY POINT is that the odds of _Pyrrha Nikos_ needing the help of _Jaune Arc_ is about as close to zero as the Grimm deciding they're tired of killing humans. What's that?"

The other four turned to face what Jaune was pointing at. Ruby, Weiss, and Blake had never seen anything like it before. Yang, however, felt her breath catch in her throat. She had only a fleeting glimpse of it before, but she could have _sworn_ she saw the same portal when she was waking up on Roman's train, where she also swore she saw...

"M-mom...?"

Nobody was coming out of the portal, so Yang's statement was met by confused stares from her friends. That didn't stop her from dashing towards the strange aperture, activating Ember Celica as she ran.

"Yang! What are you doing? Stop!"

Ruby dashed after her sister and flung herself at the blonde in an effort to knock her down before reaching the portal. This only resulted in both sisters diving through the anomaly, unfortuantely, as Yang was far too strong to be stopped by Ruby's light frame.

"Yang!"

"Ruby!"

"Uh, guys?"

Jaune could only watch in amazement (or was it horror? He wasn't entirely sure) as Blake and Weiss pursued their companions and quickly followed them through to... wherever the portal thingy took them. The leader of JNPR was torn: should he follow them and see if he could be of help? Or should he go get Pyrrha and show her this thing? If anyone would know what to do, it would be her. Within a few seconds, however, his quandary was answered for him. The portal vanished, and Jaune found himself standing very much alone in an open field.

"Oh man. Oh man, oh man. What the hell just happened?"


	2. First Contact

Before Ruby could open her eyes, the high-pitched ringing in her ears told her she was awake. It was the kind of sound that she heard when Yang fired a shell from her Ember Celica two inches from Ruby's face. If that little event was anything to go by, her hearing would be a bit off for a while.

Slowly her eyes started to work, and the first thing Ruby noticed was that she was very definitely not in a forest. Her hands and knees were planted on metal, and the room was far too dark to to be lit by the sun.

Ruby noticed that her hearing was starting to return. Oh good, she could hear Yang's voice, so at least they were still together.

"I s..d b..k .ff!" blah blah, talk talk. Ruby wasn't sure who she was talking to, but she sounded... angry? Hmm. Well, she could probably handle it for another minute while Ruby continued to get her bearings. It wasn't long before she was able to hear other voices talking back to Yang. She wasn't really processing what they were saying, but she noticed that they sounded rather cross, and they enjoyed using the word "fuck" a lot. Ruby thought that was a rather rude way to talk to a young lady.

"Hands where I can fucking see them!"

"Stand the fuck down!"

"Don't move! Don't fucking move!"

"Where the fuck are those goddamn psi operatives?"

"Drop your fucking weapons!"

These, and about ten other commands/questions were shouted in the span of roughly four seconds. Ruby noticed that, while they sounded very hostile, there was also a definite hint of fear in their voices. Odd, considering they were all shouting at a pair of young girls. What was all the fuss about? After a few more seconds, Ruby had enough strength to sit up and further assess the situation.

There were a lot of people in the room. To her left was Yang, who had assumed a fighting position and was shouting back at the angry people. Directly in front of her and fanned out into a semi-circle was the mob that had been (and still was) shouting obscenities. They were pointing a lot of guns at Ruby and Yang. By her count, there were about three shotguns, six pistols, eight rifles, two light machine guns... and was one guy pointing a rocket launcher at her? That was a bit excessive.

The facility they were in had some sort of intercom, as Ruby began to hear a voice talking from nowhere.

"Strike One, are there hostile aliens at your position?"

The person at the front front of the angry mob toggled a mic on his collar to respond to the new person asking questions. "Negative, Central. Hostiles are not x-rays."

"EXALT?"

"Uhhh, unless they've resorted to recruiting under-aged women, negative. Dress code doesn't match, either."

"Then what are we dealing with, Strike One?"

"Unknown. One target is standing and definitely hostile-"

"You've got twenty guns pointed at me! You're damn right I'm being hostile!"

"... and the other appears to have been stunned upon entry."

"Strike One, try to contain the situation diplomatically. If hostiles engage, you are free to respond with force. Psi Ops are on their way to counter any psychic abilities they may have."

"Understood, Central." The guy who was apparently called Strike One flipped off his mic and returned his attention to Yang and Ruby, who was standing by this point.

"So..." his gaze bounced from one stranger to the other, "Either of you care to explain how or why you decided to pay us a visit? Or who you work for? I'm not going to lie to you, I've three squads worth of soldiers here who have been walking a razor's edge for months now, and the only thing keeping your brain pan unperforated is a highly-disciplined trigger finger."

Ruby almost instantly regretted raising her hand to politely ask if she could speak. As soon as she did so, she found all twenty weapons trained on her. The best she could do at this point was to press on and ask her question. She was embarrassed when her voice came out as something closer to a squeak. "What's a brain pan?"

Absolute silence followed, save for Yang's heavy sigh. "The nice gentleman over there was explaining how all those other nice people _really_ want to shoot us in the face."

"Oh... well, I would prefer if that didn't happen, so... what do we do?"

Before either Yang or Strike One could answer, three more soldiers pushed their way through the semi-circle and focused their attention on the two intruders. Ruby noticed that they didn't have any guns, though, they were just holding two fingers to their temple and looking intently at Yang, and then Ruby. They looked rather silly, to be honest, but their attitude and posture showed that they were anything but. After a moment, they seemed to relax, and one spoke into her mic.

"Central, this is Annette. Hostiles are not psychically sensitive."

Yang started laughing. "What? Seriously? You want me to believe that you have _psychic powers_? Are you going to tell me what number I'm thinking of?"

Annette glared at the cocky intruder. "You want to try me? Give me the chance, and I swear I can be your worst nightmare."

Ruby saw that this conversation was not going in a good direction, so she decided to act quickly and draw attention back to herself. "Look, we haven't done anything! In fact, we're probably just as confused as you are! Why are you still treating us like we're hostile? We're not!"

Mr. Strike One gestured at Yang with his pistol. "Tell that to your friend over there. She's been standing like that before you even started to sit up."

Ruby looked over at Yang who, much to Ruby's dismay, was still assuming a combat-ready stance. "Yang! Are you trying to get us killed?"

Her big sister shrugged. "If you can get them to stop pointing all those guns at us, I'll stop being ready to bust some heads."

Strike One gave a dry chuckle. "Not gonna happen, kiddo. You come into our house? You're not the one that gets to make demands. Stand down."

"Yang, please..."

Yang rolled her eyes, lowered her hands, and flicked her wrists to deactivate Ember Celica. With a click, the gauntlets shifted to their inert form. Yang then folded her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow at Strike One, as if she were silently asking "happy now?"

"No" was the apparent answer, as the soldier gave her an unamused look. "Right, we'll need you to take them off so that one of my operatives can deliver them, along with…" he waved in the general direction of Crescent Rose, "whatever that is… to our chief engineer so he-"

When he mentioned taking off the gauntlets, Yang's eyes grew wide before narrowing into a glare. "No. Nope. No way. My gauntlets. I made them myself, I've had them for years, and they only time they come off is when I'm sleeping."

Strike One matched Yang's glare with one of his own. Ruby had to admit, his was pretty intimidating. "Well, Miss... Yang, was it? Here's a new time for them to come off: immediately after you waltz unannounced into an XCOM base. A base, mind you, where everyone is jumpy at the _slightest_ anomaly in their day-to-day due to the nature of what's happening worldwide. Do you know what constitutes an anomaly in this situation? A young girl walking around with heavy gauntlets that appear to be loaded with shotgun shells."

Ruby was starting to really get nervous. While it was comforting to hear Mr. Central tell these guys to diplomatically solve the situation, she could tell that Mr. Strike One was getting fed up with having his patience tested. Ruby herself was frequently frustrated by Yang's antics, and they were sisters. Here was a guy who apparently had an extremely heavy burden of base security sitting squarely on his shoulders, a guy who looked sleep-deprived, cranky, and scared all at once, and he was commanding a squad with firearms trained on two huntresses. Ruby didn't care how good she was at fighting, the odds were _not_ stacked in her favor, and she had no idea how much longer Strike One was willing to humor her hot-head of a sister.

"Yang... can you just do what he says and give him Ember Celica for now? Just so we don't get killed in a misunderstanding? Please?"

Yang looked at Ruby, sighed again, and slowly began to take off her gauntlets. "If your so-called chief engineer breaks these, I'm going to break his legs."

Strike One's glare turned into a withering look. "Okay, first: threatening to injure a man who's vital to this operation's continued survival? Not the greatest start to a diplomatic truce. Second: Dr. Shen has studied, handled, and built mechanical, electrical, and chemical devices far more complicated than your little fancy gloves. There's not a single goddamn piece of tech that he and Vahlen can't crack when they put their minds to it. Annette? Could you relieve Miss Yang of her hardware and take them down to Dr. Shen?"

The "psi op" from earlier nodded and stepped forward carefully towards Yang. Ruby was relieved to see that her sister was done being difficult. When Annette held out her hand for Ember Celica, she gave up the gauntlets without a fuss. Even so, Ruby could see from her face how hard it was for her sister. She decided she would later try and use diplomacy (which seemed to have worked well for her so far) to convince whoever was in charge to let them go see Dr. Shen.

"Great. Fantastic! You have successfully disarmed a teenaged girl, and the hostile situation has been diffused! I'm so proud of you all." A woman spouting sarcasm was pushing her way forward through the ring of soldiers. She was smaller than them, not dressed in the same manner as the rest, and unarmed. Indeed, the only thing she was carrying was a clipboard. "So now can I PLEASE analyze the subjects?"

"Dr. Vahlen, I don't think-"

And that was when the portal, which everyone seemed to have forgotten about, spit out Weiss and Blake before closing up and vanishing entirely.

"New contacts at the Hyperwave Relay!"

"Don't fucking move!"

Ruby sighed. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

After the arrival of team RWBY's other half was sorted out, and Dr. Vahlen was promised a chance to "analyze" them later (a chance Ruby wasn't looking forward to… that woman gave her the creeps, and she'd only been there for two minutes), the four girls found themselves escorted to some kind of conference room where they were told to wait for further instructions. While being bossed around by strangers was not something any of them particularly enjoyed, it did give them a chance to talk privately for the first time since getting here. So naturally, Weiss capitalized on the moment to berate Yang.

"So Yang, how did blindly dashing through a mysterious portal to find mommy work out for you?"

"Weiss..."

"Did you find her? Because I feel like if she was here, we wouldn't have a full complement of weapons aimed at our faces and expletives shouted at us simply because we decided to pop in and say hello."

"Weiss!"

"Do you even know where we are? That guy mentioned we're at 'XCOM', but I've never heard of such a thing. Did you ever hear your mom talk about XCOM?"

"Weiss, I'm serious! Lay off her!"

"So now here we are, in a strange base, with a lot of strange people, and none of us have our weapons. Worse yet, they're undoubtedly being poked at by some old codger who's probably breaking Myrtenaster as we speak!"

"WEISS-"

"Actually, Miss Schnee, if you get the opportunity to see some of the tech Dr. Shen has developed here at XCOM, you'll probably have a much better opinion of him and his engineering expertise."

All four heads snapped up to look at whoever it was just walked through the door. Ruby recognized the voice as "Central" from the intercom. He was smartly dressed, wearing a simple pair of beige slacks, a green sweater with a white undershirt and tie, and a lightweight earpiece. Ruby thought the tie was a nice touch. On his sweater there was a small insignia patch sewn over the left side of his chest, and Ruby was able to make out the words "Vigilo Confido." Though she had no idea what that meant, she recalled seeing the same insignia on most of the other soldiers back at the Hyperwave Relay. Central's professional posture, combined with his short and well-kept hair, spoke volumes to Ruby that this was the kind of fellow who was very good at getting things done. She smiled and waved at him.

"Hello Mr. Central! Were we waiting here for you?"

Mr. Central chuckled and nodded. "Yes, I've come down to do a proper debriefing, as many people are… concerned that Dr. Vahlen would simply ask questions relevant to her interest, and not to those of XCOM as a whole." Ruby groaned inwardly, not wanted to think about that particular odd duck. "And my name isn't Central, Miss Rose. It's Bradford. Central Officer is my title."

"Oh." This knowledge started spinning some wheels in Ruby's head. "So Mr. Strike One..."

Bradford nodded. "... was Major Vance."

While Ruby seemed to completely miss the fact that Bradford knew both her last name and Weiss's, her partner was more perceptive.

"How did you know my last name? I never told you. I never told any of you."

Bradford smiled and tapped his forehead with his finger, as if that would help clarify things. "My role as Central Officer is to know things, Miss Schnee. Where Major Vance uses a rifle as his weapon, I use information."

For the first time since arriving, Blake spoke. "That still doesn't explain how you knew her last name. Information doesn't come out of thin air."

The central officer shrugged. "The answer is something I'm not going to tell you. While it is true that you don't appear to be hostile, you are still an unknown. At times like these, security is one of my top concerns. Suffice to say that information is my job, and I have ways of acquiring it. In the end, that's not why I'm here. I'm here because we need to figure out who you are, where you came from, and why you came at all."

"Oh! You want to know why we came?"

"Weiss..."

Bradford held up his hand to cut off the hotblooded huntress before she launched into another rant. "I heard your… conversation the first time from down the hall, you don't need to repeat it." He turned his focus to Yang, who had her arms folded and her boots kicked up onto the table. "Since it seems you were the... I suppose 'instigator' is the right word... the instigator of this whole chain of events, why don't we start with you?"

Yang shrugged. "Not much to say. I've been looking for someone in my past for years now. I thought I had a brief glimpse of her about three days ago as she was stepping through a portal. This morning, we were out killing some Grimm, when a similar portal pops up. Naturally, I wasn't planning on wasting a golden opportunity to continue my search." She leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "Trust me, the last thing I was expecting was to be greeted by obscenity-slinging, hyper-aggressive soldiers who looked like they were operating on caffeine and zero sleep."

Ruby was pretty sure everyone else missed Yang muttering under her breath, "Though it wouldn't be the first time that's happened to me."

Bradford nervously cast his glance sideways when Yang mentioned the soldiers. "Yes... we try our best to let our operatives maintain a healthy rest cycle, but...we're in the middle of a long war. One that isn't going as well as it could be." Bradford got up to shut the door to the room before sitting down and looking at the four girls before him once more. "So I think we both have things we need to share with the other party. Would you like to go first, or shall I?"

Once the four girls agreed he should start, Central Officer Bradford launched into a description of what was going around the world outside of the XCOM base. The alien invasion of Earth that started six months ago, with all its abductions, terror strikes, and UFOs, was explained to the members of RWBY. Additionally, Bradford explained the headache that was EXALT, the pro-alien (or possibly just anti-XCOM, they weren't entirely sure) terrorist faction that had cropped up to cause even more problems for Bradford and his crew. The XCOM Project was an international initiative that has become the planet's last line of defense against these foes. If XCOM was defeated, Earth would certainly be lost. As such, failure was not an option. He explained how it was a rare occurrence for more than three days to go by without an incident, and the fatigue was taking its toll on his soldiers.

"Sure, we recruit more soldiers into XCOM to bolster our numbers, but that doesn't solve everything. We always need a few veterans to accompany the rookies on their missions to ensure things don't go wrong, and even then... things often go wrong. This leaves us with fatigued or dead soldiers, a fluctuating number of veterans who have real combat experience, and few options when it comes to fielding a fully-rested squad. Mechanized SHIV units are handy in a pinch, but they're expensive and difficult to fix when they take too much damage."

Bradford let out a heavy breath and tiredly rubbed his eyes. "Dr. Vahlen and Dr. Shen have been amazing assets to this operation, but they're no miracle workers. Every time we advance our tech, our enemies advance along with us. It seems impossible to pull ahead in the arms race, leaving us stuck in our current, deadly predicament." He got up and walked over to a window, gazing out at the central command room. He continued his monologue as he watched a big, blue, holographic globe (he had called it the "geoscape" earlier) slowly rotate on its axis.

"Still, though, the situation isn't entirely hopeless. For every setback thrown our way by the aliens or EXALT, we make progress. We've downed over twenty UFOs, and successfully killed off the crew of fifteen of them. Abductions are frequently disrupted by our operatives all across the globe. EXALT is still active, but we're close to finding their base of operations and eliminating them completely. It's just that the costs of these achievements are higher than we'd like, and payment is made in blood."

Bradford returned to the table and looked at the each of the four girls in turn. Ruby was at full attention, leaning forward and intently listening to every word Bradford was saying. Yang was still sitting with her boots on the table and her eyes were wandering the room, but the central officer could tell he still had her interest. Blake was sitting impassively in her seat, watching Bradford as he spoke, but giving no sign as to what she was thinking.

Weiss, it seemed, had absolutely no interest in the successes and failures of the XCOM Project. She politely remained quiet, but it was obvious to Bradford that her attention was on other things. Her nails, her hair, her daydreams, pretty much anything that wasn't him.

"So that's the general rundown of our current situation. Are there any questions?"

To his surprise, Weiss spoke up. "Why are you telling us any of this? We don't belong here, Yang told you that this whole thing was a mistake. Why should we care about a war that we have absolutely no stake in?"

"Because we're stuck here."

All eyes turned to Blake, surprised that she had decided to speak. With four sets of eyes on her, the faunus pressed further. "It's true, isn't it? If you knew how to send us back through your... relay device, you would have told us so. More than that, you would have done it as soon as possible so you could get back to concerning yourself with your invasion. What's the point of telling us all this about your war if in a few minutes you'll say 'thanks for dropping by, now leave'?"

Bradford made a mental note to be mindful of Blake's razor-sharp perception during future interactions. "Miss Belladona is, unfortunately, correct. While Dr. Vahlen has told me that the Hyperwave Relay event has given her 'lots of fantastic data', the truth is we have no idea why the portal spawned, or how to replicate it. It was supposed to enhance our ability to track communication between the alien forces, not rip four girls from who-knows-where and drop them into our base. Given time, she may be able to come up with something, but I have a feeling that you may be our guests for a while."

The room grew quiet as Bradford's words sunk in with the members of team RWBY. The silence was broken by Yang, who finally sat up and looked curiously at Bradford. "Alright, so we're stuck here. Might as well come to terms with that. You said there were aliens out there trying to take over the world?"

Bradford hesitantly nodded, unsure of where Yang was going with this. "That... is correct, as far as we know. Even if their ultimate motive isn't quite clear, they're certainly wreaking havoc across the planet."

"... And you guys have the job of killing these aliens."

 _Was she even listening during the debriefing?_ "That is the purpose of the XCOM Project, yes."

Yang kicked her feet back up on the table, relaxed with her hands behind her head, and smirked. "So do I have to be all unlady-like and ask, or are you going to be a gentleman and offer us the chance to have some fun and kill the little dirtbags?"


	3. Welcome to XCOM

A/N: This chapter ran a little long, and I apologize. It's a lot of exposition primarily directed at people not familiar with XCOM, but I think it's still an enjoyable chapter. Action will be coming soon, I promise!

* * *

Bradford was extremely wary at first when Yang insisted she wanted to kill some aliens. Here before him sat four girls who couldn't be older than 17, asking to go on life-threatening ops. Ops, Bradford reminded himself, that very often resulted in the deaths of highly trained soldiers from across the globe. If the best of the best suffered high mortality rates in this environment, what chance did these girls have? Yang was persistent, however, and refused to take no for an answer. She described the training she and her associates had gone through, the feats of combat they'd accomplished, and how their chosen career path consisted of honing their skills to fight with even greater skill and conviction. Bradford couldn't tell if this was just some sort of teenage bravado and tall tales, or if Yang was serious. Who sends four girls, ages 15 to 17, off to fight dire wolves and grizzly bears? Remnant, apparently. Well, if they really wanted to do this, the Central Officer wasn't really in a position to turn down potential recruits, especially ones that claimed to already operate like a well-oiled machine. Outfitting them with properly sized armor may be an issue (especially for Ruby), but logistics was something he'd been doing for months now. He'd figure something out.

After finishing the debriefing, Bradford contacted Major Vance and asked him to take the four rookies on a tour of the facilities. Vance was the front man of the original encounter, so Bradford figured he'd be a good choice for helping team RWBY learn the ropes. After a few more minutes of waiting in the conference room, "Mr. Strike One" arrived to greet them.

"Right, then. Seems like we got off on the wrong foot the first time we met, so let's try this again. I'm Major Xander Vance, one of the top snipers here at XCOM." Vance wisely offered his hand to Ruby first, who happily shook it, before offering a handshake to the rest of the girls. "I've been told that Central Officer Bradford has given you a pretty good rundown of what we do here, so my job is to simply show you around and give you an idea of _how_ we do what we do. C'mon."

Team RWBY filed out of the conference room behind Vance, who didn't walk very far before stopping.

"What you're looking at here is Mission Control." He indicated the room behind him. It had several rows of tables arranged to face a large blue globe that was slowly spinning in the center. The tables were lined with computers and about eight people were currently manning stations around the room. There was a small raised podium overlooking the rest of the room, and Ruby saw Officer Bradford standing there, studying the spinning globe. He looked busy, so the huntress decided not to say hi.

"This room is essentially the hub of our operation. The Central Officer receives information about UFO contacts, alien abductions, and various other key events, and it's all fed to him through here. Furthermore, when a team of operatives has reached the mission AO, Bradford is able to monitor their progress and provide feedback from here as well. Since you lot are volunteering to be field operatives and not a bunch of tech heads, there's not much else to show you here. Next up is the barracks."

Before he could continue, Ruby raised her hand. Thinking back to the last time the young girl wanted to ask a question, Vance made an educated guess and preemptively answered her. "AO stands for 'Area of Operation,' like a crashed ship or an abduction site."

"… Oh."

As the little tour group started walking, Ruby remembered the promise she made to herself about trying to convince someone to take RWBY down to the Chief Engineer to make sure their weapons were okay. "Mister Vance?"

Vance glanced over his shoulder at Ruby. "Another question?"

"Yes. I was wondering if it would be possible to go see… Dr. Shen, I think? The Chief Engineering guy."

The Major shrugged. "Sure, can't hurt. You can see all the cool stuff he makes, and it might get you more pumped about field testing it when you start going on ops. Nice job getting his name right, by the way."

Ruby gave herself an imaginary pat on the back for succeeding so easily at accomplishing her goal. The fact that Vance seemed to think highly of Dr. Shen was a plus. If she could be friends with the Chief Engineer, that would also make it easy to arrange for repeated visits later on. She felt really weird without Crescent Rose, and she was sure her teammates felt similarly about their confiscated weapons.

Eventually, the group arrived at what Ruby could only assume to be the barracks. "Alright, so this is where operatives sleep and store their personal belongings. Beds are all numbered, but not assigned to a specific soldier. Basically, pick a vacancy and move yourself in. Operatives caught using more than one vacancy to store their stuff will be reprimanded and given kitchen duty for a month. Barracks are co-ed, but there are gender-specific washrooms down the hall if you feel you need some privacy from wandering eyes." Vance rattled off the barracks rules in a bored, almost robotic tone. Ruby wondered how many times he'd given this same speech before. A small shiver went down her spine when she coupled this with the comment that soldiers were supposed to just "pick an empty bed" rather than have one assigned to them. Was the turnover rate really that high? She decided to keep this revelation to herself for now. No sense in getting her teammates worried.

"You can pick a vacancy later, since you aren't exactly carrying anything at the moment that needs storing. Come on, I'll show you the recreation center and commissary next."

The tour continued as Major Vance showed team RWBY all the various facilities in the "anthill" (the humorous moniker given to the base by the staff) that they needed to know about. Facilities such as the numerous power plants or the satellite uplinks weren't exactly relevant to the interests of Vance's tour group, and so they were only given a passing mention rather than a proper introduction.

"Alright, I was planning on saving my favorite for last, and that's the armory. Since Miss Rose wants to pay a visit to Dr. Shen, we'll hit him up first, stop by Dr. Vahlen-" Vance ignored the quiet chorus of groans at the mention of the Chief Scientist. "… and finish off with the armory. Questions? No? Good, let's get to it."

A brief elevator ride and a short walk later, and team RWBY found themselves in a large room that was unmistakably engineering. The air was loud with the constant sounds of buzzing, drilling, sawing, welding, and just about every other manufacturing procedure imaginable. There was at least 50 people down here, and they all looked busy. Ruby could see people operating assembly lines, mills, workbenches, computers, or the coffee machine. Vance easily found Dr. Shen, who was standing in his office with a datapad and a steaming mug, watching all the activity going on in his little neck of the XCOM woods. Vance knocked on the open door before ushering in his four charges and closing the door behind them in an effort to dampen the noise from outside.

"Dr. Shen, I brought you some visitors."

Shen looked over at the four girls and gave them a small smile. He was a short-ish man with very little white hair on his head. The wrinkles and creases on his face betrayed his age, but the look of cheerful confidence in his eyes showed his experience. Setting down his datapad and mug, he turned to greet the five newcomers to his office. "So you did, Major." He pointed at Yang and asked, "I trust you didn't bring this one down so she could break my legs?"

Yang looked uncharacteristically horrified. After finally meeting Shen, she had decided he looked like an adorable old man who wouldn't harm a fly. Somehow, her empty, bravado-filled threat had reached his ears, and now his first impression of her was a violent nutjob who was going to break his legs if he damaged her gauntlets. "You, uh… you heard about that?"

The engineer chuckled and took a sip from his cup. "Word travels fast in this facility, my dear, especially when that word is about four young adults tumbling out of a strange portal and directly into our base." He faked a conspiratorial glance to make sure nobody was 'listening' before adding in a whisper, "Plus, the XCOM operatives here worship me as 'The Great Maker of Cool Stuff.' I found out almost immediately from my… ah… followers that an attempt on my lower appendages may come at the hands of a yellow-haired assassin."

The four huntresses stared at him blankly before Weiss spoke in a disbelieving tone. "The Great Maker of Cool Stuff? Seriously?"

Dr. Shen looked over at Major Vance. "I take it you haven't given them The List yet, have you?"

Vance shook his head. "I was going to finish the tour with it so that they could enjoy some light reading when I left them at the barracks."

"Ah, yes. 'Light' reading." Shen turned back to team RWBY and winked. "Make sure you read rule number one hundred and twenty-one."

Straightening up, the Chief Engineer switched back to Business Mode. "So what brings you all down here? Interested in the manufacturing side of this operation?"

Speaking up for the first time since the tour started, Blake answered what was on the mind of all four huntresses. "We're actually more interested in seeing our confiscated weapons."

Shen nodded. "Of course you are. I've been instructed by Officer Bradford not to relinquish them until he says so, but I don't think there's any harm in letting you have a look. Might make you feel more comfortable once you see how careful we are with them. Follow me."

The group of six stepped out from Shen's office and made its way over to one of the workbenches at the back of the room. Several engineers were standing around the table, carefully studying one of the gauntlets that made up Ember Celica. They had placed it in a 3-point stand and were currently taking measurements, marking fastening joints, noting directions of travel, and attempting to construct a 3D model on the table's computer. Yang was expecting to see her beloved gauntlets strewn across the table in small pieces, so the sight before her was a pleasant surprise. She also noticed that the bandoliers of shells had been removed and were laying on the table next to the stand. Dr. Shen walked up to stand next to her.

"So what do you think? Are my engineers taking proper care of your armaments?" He smiled proudly when Yang responded with a wordless nod. "We will eventually have to start taking it apart to have a look at the insides, but for now I plan to complete a full external inspection of each weapon." He turned to look at the other three members of team RWBY. "If you have the time and are willing, I would actually appreciate it if you were present for the dismantling of your respective weapons. Despite my engineers being some of the best in the world, none of their experience can hold a candle to the intimate knowledge you each undoubtedly have of your own equipment. Not only would you be able to ensure we are taking proper care of your belongings, but perhaps you could assist us in the analysis process, and even accelerate our understanding of how certain components function."

While Dr. Shen saw all of the new recruits nodding happily at the offer, he noted that Ruby was particularly enthusiastic with her body language. If Bradford hadn't already slated them for Operation duty, Shen would have quietly asked if Ruby could join his engineering team. Her excitement at the prospect of explaining how her weapon worked, combined with how _complex_ it was compared to the other three, was all the evidence the Chief Engineer needed to know that he would be getting along very well with the young woman. For now, though, there were other matters he had to attend to.

"Well then, I could show you four some of the other tech I've been developing for XCOM's operatives, but I have a feeling that this," he waved at the table behind him containing their precious weapons, "was the main reason you asked Major Vance to take you on a tour of my facility. If there's nothing else…?"

The members of RWBY looked at one another. Shen was correct in his assessment that they were here primarily for their weapons, and while Ruby would have loved to spend more time exploring, she was pretty sure the other three were less excited about looking at tech. She'd find some free time later to come down and talk shop with Dr. Shen. "Thank you for the offer, sir, but I think we'll get going with the rest of Major Vance's tour."

Shen nodded. "Very good. Feel free to stop by anytime if you start getting separation anxiety from your personal effects." He glanced briefly at Vance before whispering to the girls. "Don't forget: rule one hundred and twenty-one. Despite what the material would have you believe, I'm growing rather fond of the name." With a sip from his cup and a wave, Shen left the group to return to matters that required attention in his office.

"So, shall we make our way up to Dr. Vahlen's lab?" Vance had to suppress a smile when he saw the reaction his question had earned. Each one of the recruits looked like they'd rather get a lecture from Shen on the mechanical theory behind Fission Generators if it meant avoiding the Chief Scientist. "Well, no point in dragging your feet. It had to happen sooner or later. Let's go."

* * *

Dr. Vahlen held a finger up as Vance's party entered the lab, indicating that she was in the middle of something and could not pull her attention away from it. Indeed, her face seemed glued to the monitor before her, and the group had to stand around awkwardly waiting for a good minute while the doctor finished with whatever she was doing. The Chief Scientist looked rather young, much younger than Dr. Shen at least. Her dirty blond hair was cleanly tied back and fastened behind her head, and her body language conveyed a strict no-nonsense attitude. "Workaholic" was the first impression that came to Ruby's mind, and she was certain the others had similar thoughts. The fact that she was still ignoring them in favor of the work on her computer was further proof of Ruby's analysis.

Finally, Vahlen entered a few keystrokes on the terminal and looked up to see who had willingly entered her lair. Her expression lightened immediately when she saw that it was the four strangers that had come through the mysterious portal only hours previously.

"Ah! You're here. Excellent. I've been waiting for the chance to have a chat with you. I was hoping to speak with you sooner, but Central Officer Bradford," the Chief Scientist rolled her eyes at the mention of his name, "deemed it more important that you get carted around the base like a group of tourists at a vacation spot." Dr. Vahlen let out an exasperated sigh before looking at each huntress in turn. "Either way, the important thing is that you're here now, and this is an _excellent_ opportunity for us to get acquainted with one another, and with your… situation. First thing's first. I am Dr. Vahlen, Chief Scientist for the XCOM Project." She made her way around the table that stood between both parties and offered her hand out in greeting. Her bright smile faltered when the four girls looked nervously at one another, none of them taking her proffered hand. Her smile turned into a frown when she noticed that all four refused to make eye contact with her. Her frown turned into a glare as she stared down Major Vance, who's subtle cowering only served to make Vahlen more annoyed.

"You've been talking to them, haven't you? Filling their little heads with all those… lies about me." Major Vance immediately and vigorously shook his head at the accusation. "No, I swear! All I've done is play tour guide and shown them around the base. I haven't engaged in any kind of idle gossip. C'mon Doctor. I thought you'd expect more out of a Major."

Vahlen sighed, again, before turning back to the rookies. "Somehow, a rumor started that I'm this uptight, no-fun monster of a person that delights in the pain and suffering of others, including our own operatives. I suspect that the rumor started due to the fact that I view myself as a _professional_." She gave Vance a pointed look. "You know, someone who has standards on how they conduct themselves in the workplace. This rumor had the misfortune to somehow become a reputation, and now just about everyone at the base acts like I'm sort of sadistic mad scientist."

The Chief Scientist unceremoniously sat herself down in a nearby chair, adopting a frustrated posture with her hand to her forehead. "I take it the Major has shown you The List?"

Vance shook his head. "Nope. Like I told Shen, I was planning on giving it to them after I was done showing them around."

Dr. Vahlen shrugged. "No matter." She turned to look at the four girls. "It's essentially a list of rules that regulates the behavior of operatives both in the field and at base. It grows larger as the… shenanigans carried out by XCOM personnel continue to stretch the bounds of human idiocy. Would you like to know how many rules on that list had to be made because of my stupid reputation as a, as they call me, 'mega bitch'? Fifteen. There are fifteen rules in that damn list because of this notoriety that I can't seem to get rid of. The operatives all treat me with respect, for the most part, but that respect is apparently borne out of fear rather than friendship. Only Central Officer Bradford, Dr. Shen, and one or two operatives actually treat me kindly." She grabbed some odd piece of tech on the table behind her and started to idly fiddle with it. "So imagine my excitement when four strangers tumble into the base from who-knows-where. Imagine my further excitement at the prospect of these strangers having no idea about my false reputation. Then imagine my reaction when I find out that the reputation somehow stuck even before I get the chance to talk with them." She finished miserably.

While Ruby wasn't really a fan of Dr. Vahlen, she still felt bad for the woman. She was undoubtedly very smart, extremely accomplished, and worked hard to get to where she was. The young huntress could think of a few of her friends who shared those qualities. It was almost sad to see her reduced to this depressed figure seated in front of Ruby, and so the young girl decided she would try to at least give the scientist a fair chance. That fair chance was going to start with a bit of advice.

"Dr. Vahlen? I understand that the lack of professionalism towards you is unwarranted, but if when you're trying to make a good impression on strangers, maaaaaaaaybe you shouldn't lead off with 'Can I please analyze the subjects'."

Weiss snorted, clearly less concerned with the doctor's self-esteem than Ruby was. "She actually said that to you? Sounds like the reputation is more deserved than she realizes."

"Weiss!"

Dr. Vahlen interrupted, tossing the tech she was holding back onto the table and getting up. "No, Miss Schnee is right-"

"How does everyone know my last name!"

Vahlen ignored her. "It was a very… heated event, and my mind was focused strictly on the possible avenues of research at the time. I was certainly going to have to analyze what happened with the Hyperwave Relay, but there was also the possibility to exami-" She caught herself. " _Interview_ the people who came out of the anomaly. Not only would analysis likely help interpret the data gathered on the Relay, but I can think of at least ten other avenues of research that are worth investigating thanks to your existence, and that's just off the top of my head. More will likely open up as I get the opportunity to learn about you." She looked off to the side and quietly added, "If I get to learn about you."

Yang snorted. "I think Weiss is right, and more of your reputation is deserved than you realize. HOWEVER," she interjected, upon seeing the annoyed look on Vahlen's face, "We're willing to drop the first impression and go for a second. Isn't that right, Blake? Weiss?" She elbowed the other two, who both sighed. It seemed to them that Yang had no intention of dropping the first impression, but was willing to subject herself to Vahlen's antics if it meant bringing down her friends with her. For the fun of it, of course. Weiss was going to make damn sure that Yang didn't get the satisfaction of watching her suffer. In fact…

"Of course! It sounds to me like you just need a little help with how you project yourself towards others. As heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, I can confidently say that I know a thing or two about creating and maintaining a good public image." Weiss walked up to Dr. Vahlen and held her hand out. The doctor briefly stared in confusion at the outstretched hand before accepting it in a tentative shake.

"This… isn't some kind of trick…?"

Weiss laughed. "Hardly."

"There's a catch, isn't there?"

Weiss shrugged. "Call it a favor. To be cashed in at an unspecified time in the future."

Ruby narrowed her eyes at her partner. "Weiss…"

Weiss shrugged. "What? The good doctor needs some help. I'm merely offering assistance, and accepting payment for services rendered."

Vahlen waved off Ruby, who was still looking unconvinced. "It's quite alright, Miss Rose. If your friend is certain she can help me," The doctor closed her eyes, drew a deep breath, and exhaled, as if she was blowing out all the bad memories of months past, "Then it is worth whatever price she decides upon later. And even if it turns out that my reputation is more permanent than Miss Schnee seems to think, it'll be nice to at least have someone to talk to." She waved her arm, gesturing to all the high tech equipment around them. "It gets a little lonely when all your friends can't talk back when you say hello."

Vance clapped his hands once to get everyone's attention. "Well! Sounds like we've had a productive meeting here. Lots of good stuff happening. If you don't mind, Dr. Vahlen, I'd like to wrap up my tour for the four rookies."

Dr. Vahlen wanted to comment, saying that she hadn't had a chance to ask any of the questions she had for the girls, but she resigned herself to the fact that it would have to wait. Maybe she could talk to Weiss when the young woman came down to talk about her "public image". She made a mental note to remind herself not to get too overzealous with the questions when the time came. "Very well, Major. I'll get back to my research." She turned to the huntresses and smiled. "I would appreciate it if you stopped by later for an actual interview. That data could be helpful in figuring out a way to send you back to wherever you came from."

The members of team RWBY gave responses with varying degrees of enthusiasm, then followed Major Vance out of the lab and towards the armory.

* * *

Major Vance was excited. Finally, he was able to show the rookies his favorite section of the anthill.

"Alright, here we are: the armory. When you want to practice with your firearms, you go here. When you want to train your mobility in your full kit through a live fire course, you go here. When your squad is picked for a field op and you need to prep your equipment, you go here. Everything designed by Vahlen and built by Shen can be found at the armory. Weapons, armor, grenades, medkits, special ammunition… the list goes on. And with several exceptions, field operatives have access to _all_ of it. Let's take a look."

Ruby thought it was adorable that the Major was practically skipping as he led them through the doors into the armory. The facility was pretty big. Not as big as engineering, but there was certainly a lot to do here. Vance was heading left to what looked like equipment checkout or storage. Straight ahead, Ruby saw several soldiers chatting as they walked through a pair of doors marked "firing range". Off to the right was probably the practice course that Vance had hinted at in his initial introduction.

Major Vance placed his thumb on a small scanner. With a click, the door opened and the group entered what looked like a warehouse. Several rows of shelves ran the length of the room, with the front end of each labeled as either weapons, armor, or utility. The Major turned to face the group. "Alright, so here at XCOM, there are three categories of equipment operatives use on missions. First and foremost, your gun. We have quite a few classes of guns here, and your specialist designation will dictate which kinds you have access to. For example, a Sniper such as myself should not and would not be found using a Light Machine Gun. Snipers use Sniper Rifles or Marksman Rifles. Light Machine Guns are instead given to Gunner Specialists."

Vance walked into one of the aisles for a moment before walking back out with a small-sized gun that was glowing orange along its length. "Rifles, such as this pulse laser rifle, are the bread-and-butter weapon class available to most specialists. I'd wager that most of you will be spending some quality time at the range practicing with guns like this one. Battle rifles, carbines, and assault rifles all fall under the same category. Each has its own list of pros and cons, and it's up to you to figure out which works best for your needs."

Ruby raised her hand. "What about melee?"

Major Vance raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"

"Melee." Yang repeated. "Like punching the aliens in the face, or slicing them in half with a sword."

The Major let out a small, confused laugh. "Uh, yeah… except for one special case, we don't really do that. First, the aliens generally stay at range, so you'd be spending most of your time chasing them down trying to gut them when you could just be shooting them. Second, if you do get close enough to stab one, congratulations! You've probably been trained as an Assault specialist, and you have a shotgun. Shoot the alien with your shotgun, as field experience has proven very few of the buggers survive a shotgun blast to the face. Third, the only variants of enemies that actually tries to get into melee range with our operatives are the Chryssalid and the Berserker. The former will kill you, implant you with eggs, cause you to rise up as a zombie to fight those who were once your allies, and then the eggs will hatch and a young Chryssalid will _burst out from your chest_." Vance paused to let the horror sink in for the Rookies. "Berserkers… well, they're a coiled, muscle-y ball of hatred, fortitude, and pain. They don't go down easy, they charge straight for our operatives, and those who find them selves in hand-to-hand combat with one don't last long. So to answer your original question: unless you're piloting a MEC with a Kinetic Strike Module, no melee. Next up: armor." The Major set the rifle down on a table and walked the group to the next aisle.

"The aliens enjoy putting holes into operatives. This usually kills the operative, especially when done repeatedly in a short span of time. Since we prefer our soldiers to remain living, as this allows them to put holes into aliens, Dr. Shen's boys have been kind enough to fabricate protective gear that works pretty well at stopping plasma from giving you a new chest cavity. We have lighter armors for operatives that favor mobility over protection, tanky armors for operatives that enjoy putting themselves in harm's way, and specialized armors that suit more specific purposes. Sniper wants to get a nice vantage point on that roof? Walking is for losers, all the cool kids use an integrated grappling device."

The Major noticed that most of the girls were interested in his talk on the armor, but Yang seemed distracted and unconcerned. While she was very attentive, and even a little excited, about the weaponry, she didn't seem to care about the armor. "Miss Xiao Long? Is there something wrong with our protective gear?"

Ruby's sister shrugged. "I just don't want to use it. We've all got our own combat attire, as you can see." She gestured to the stylish clothing the huntresses were wearing. "Not only does it look fantastic, but I'm sure even your lightest armor is less mobile than our current outfits."

"And my whole bit about the aliens putting holes into operatives means nothing because…?"

"Because we've got Aura. I don't know if it's a thing or not here on Earth, but on Remnant, hunters and huntresses use their own soul's energy to protect them from harmful blows. Sure, it doesn't last forever, but neither does your armor. So if I have to pick between the two, I'll choose what I'm familiar with, thanks."

"… Aura."

"Yep!"

"Soul protection?"

"That's what I said, yeah."

"And it can protect you from anything?"

"Pretty much, yep."

Without a word, Major Vance pulled out a small handgun-shaped device, pointed it at Yang, and a bundle of electricity shot out and struck her square in the chest. Yang's eyes went wide as her form immediately crumpled and fell immobile to the floor. Vance shrugged and stowed his electricity gun.

"Yang!" Ruby squeaked before rushing to see if her sister was okay.

"Seems like your aura wasn't very effective against a stun gun. What's it gonna do against a Heavy Plasma Rifle? You wear armor on ops, or you don't go on ops. Leave it up to the engineering team to make sure we have armor that will fit you, but make no mistake: _you will be wearing it_. If you'd be so kind, Miss Rose, just sit her down on that chair over there. Don't worry, she's fine." He added, noting the look of concern on the young girl's face. "My Arc Thrower was set to the lowest voltage rating, so she'll regain mobility in a few minutes. For now, she can listen while I finish up my rundown of equipment with utility items."

The other three huntresses lifted the immobile Yang and propped her up in the chair that Major Vance indicated. While Ruby was certainly concerned for her sister, the whole ordeal raised a very problematic issue for the huntresses: _Yang's aura was missing here_. It was the only plausible explanation for why she wasn't able to resist the shocking blast from the Arc Thrower. And if Yang's aura was missing, that probably meant the other three were in the same boat. Ruby would have to test this out at some point when she had some time alone.

While the girls were done propping up Yang, Vance was placing various items on the nearby table. "So we have a large variety of utility items. First and foremost are grenades. High Explosive, Anti-Personnel, Smoke, Flashbangs… little hand-held buddies that will serve you well if you treat them right. Our Engineers excel at using them to tear down cover used by the aliens, while our Medics excel at using them to protect their allies. If no other utility item suits your fancy, it can't hurt to pick up one of these."

He set down the small explosive he was holding up and moved along the table to the next few items. "Medkits and Arc Throwers. Medkits keep you patched up and good to go in a firefight, and Arc Throwers… well, you've seen what they can do." He chuckled, clearly pleased that he was able to get the better of Yang's boasting. "We use them to stun aliens and bring them in for interrogations. As an added benefit, alien weapons don't shatter into small fragments when their wielder is stunned, unlike when they're killed outright. Let's see… defensive utilities like chitin armor and ceramic plating give an extra boost to your armor, which is nice. Oh yeah, accuracy items."

Vance picked up a small rectangular device, pushed a button, and a red beam shot out of one end and painted itself on the wall. "Laser Sights, S.C.O.P.E.'s, Targeting Modules, and several others. If your aim kinda sucks, picking up one or two of these will help you suck less. Fortunately, you managed to dump yourselves in our lap right when we're starting to transition from Gauss technology to Pulse Lasers. Gauss rifles can shatter your shoulder of not handled properly, but beam weaponry has considerably less kickback, so that'll probably help you out a fair bit. Still, further improving your accuracy is never a bad idea."

The Major looked at the rest of the table. There were a few things he didn't go over, but they were some of the more specialized items XCOM had. He figured that the rookies would pick some of the items he introduced for their first foray into the field. If they got curious about the other stuff, he'd happily give them a rundown later.

"Alright, that about wraps things up. I've got some stuff to do, so I'll leave you guys to find your way back to the barracks once Xiao Long over there gets her mobility back. Before I forget, though…" He reached over and grabbed a sheaf of papers hanging off the end of the nearest aisle. "You guys can hold onto this and look through it. Not only is it important to help remind all operatives of the rules, it's especially important to help Rookies learn their rights. Enjoy!" He handed the paper to Ruby and left. Weiss and Blake looked over Ruby's shoulder as she read the title on the first page of the document.

"Things XCOM Operatives Are Not Allowed To Do. Why is this a thing? And why is it so _large_?"

* * *

A/N: I think now is a good time to briefly mention a few things. First, I wanted to let you all know that I'll be taking a few "artistic liberties" with the IPs I'm playing with, moreso XCOM's than RWBY's. The biggest example of this so far is the Hyperwave Relay's ability to create transdimensional portals, but that was pretty necessary to get the story off the ground in the first place. I'll do my best to stay true to canon as much as possible, but I may bend the rules a bit here and there. Feel free to call me out on it in a review. I'll gladly explain to you my reasoning via PM, or possibly edit it out in a revised draft if you make a solid point.

Related to that, a few of you picked up on my hint at the inclusion of the "Long War" XCOM mod last chapter, and it's blatantly obvious in this one. For those of you who've played Vanilla XCOM and not the mod, it adds a lot of stuff (equipment, classes, mission types) that I think would be a lot of fun to play with in this story. For those of you who are _very_ familiar with the Long War mod, you'll find that my progression of a LW campaign in this story (tech or otherwise) will probably have quite a few inconsistencies. This is because I've never even come close to getting the Hyperwave Relay operational in the few LW runs I've attempted. So I just ask that you be understanding if I don't have the correct timing for when Sectopods should start showing up, or what level a pod leader should be for a given month. This story will have a "loose" interpretation of that sort of fine detail.

Second, I guess doesn't allow hyperlinking or the ability for readers to copy/paste text, but I've been told it's possible for me to make it linkable on my user page. It's quite hilarious, so I recommend having a look if you've never heard of this and are curious.

Finally, I want to extend a heartfelt "thank you" to everyone who took the time to write a review and/or follow my story. I'm writing it mainly for my own personal enjoyment, but it feels good when people express interest in seeing it continue.


	4. One For All

Pyrrha was studying for an upcoming test in Oobleck's history class when she started to hear a loud noise from down the hall. If she didn't know any better, she would have guessed that it sounded like a Boarbatusk crashing down the hallway. However, she did know better, and so she closed her textbook and patiently waited for Jaune to come barreling through the door.

"Pyrrha! I'm so glad you're here! I really need to talk to you!"

His partner gave him a bemused smile before holding up her scroll. "You know, Jaune, we have these things for a reason."

The look on Jaune's face when he realized he didn't have to race to the dorms from... wherever he was almost made Pyrrha regret bringing it up. Almost. He was cute when he was flustered.

"Pyrrha. They're gone."

The smile on Pyrrha's face quickly vanished. She had no idea what Jaune was talking about, but he sounded serious. Even if her partner was a prankster, Pyrrha knew that she was the last person on Remnant that he would even think about targeting for a joke. "Jaune... who's gone?"

"RWBY. I met them in the forest a few minutes ago. We talked, a portal opened up, Yang decided to-"

"Wait, what do you mean 'a portal opened up'? A portal from where?"

"That's just it! I don't know! Yang made a dash for it, Ruby tried to stop her, Weiss and Blake ran after them when they fell through, and I was left standing in a field alone after the portal closed up before I could do anything!"

Pyrrha closed her eyes for a moment to collect herself and keep control over her emotions. She had never heard of portals like this, and that could mean RWBY was in very real danger. First, though... "Jaune, thank you for not following them through the portal. We don't know how long it will be before we find them again, and I would have been worried about you had I found out you were missing as well."

The blonde leader of team JNPR rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of how to respond. "Uh... you're welcome, I guess? My first thought was to come get you and show you the portal, but it closed almost immediately after all four had stepped through. I guess the next step should be to see Professor Ozpin?"

His partner nodded. "That would be the best plan of action, I think. If anyone knows what this portal was, he does. And if he doesn't know what it is, he'll at least know what we should do. Come on, let's go see the headmaster."

* * *

"I'm gonna kill him."

"Yang, please don't."

"I swear. I'm gonna do it."

"Yang, he was proving a point."

"I don't care if I get summarily executed afterwards by a firing squad or however they deal with insubordination. I'm gonna do it."

"For crying out loud, Yang! You were being all hoity toity saying 'Blah blah, we don't need your armor! We're soooooo awesome and better than all you plebians who-"

"GUYS." Ruby, having listened to more than enough of the Yang-Weiss War 2: Electric Boogaloo, mustered her team leader authority to put an end to it.

"Yang, what you did was pretty rude, and Vance was making a point. Weiss, Yang doesn't need to hear it from you, as she already had a forced time-out courtesy of the Major. Both of you, _stop bickering and start acting like you're part of a cohesive team_."

Both Yang and Weiss immediately shut up and turned to stare at Ruby, shock written all over their faces. The stunned silence lasted for all of five seconds before Blake started giggling. "Wow, Ruby. We need to get Nora all up in here, because that was some serious skill in laying down the hammer."

Whether she had meant it or not, Blake's wisecrack was enough to break Yang out of her uncharacteristic loss for words after Ruby's angry outburst. She chuckled and gave her sister a light punch to the shoulder. "Seriously. Where'd you pick up a commanding presence like that? If you're not careful, we're gonna start saluting you and saying 'sir, yes sir'."

Weiss, though she wasn't one to so easily admit defeat, couldn't hide the small grin that briefly crossed her face. "I guess this is why Ozpin put you in charge."

Pleased with herself for diffusing the situation, Ruby started to bounce excitedly on the balls of her feet. "Alright, so now that we're all calmed down, what do you want to do first? We could find beds in the barracks, stick around here and practice with the firearms these guys have…" Ruby hesitated, trying to muster up the courage to give her third suggestion as casually as possible. "oooorrrrrrr we could hang out with Dr. Shen." She smiled brightly at each of her teammates.

Yang snorted. "Pfft. Nerd. I'm heading to the rec center. I need to unwind after all of this, and I think I saw some pretty sweet looking arcade games when the Major gave us his tour."

"Oh no. No no no." Weiss interjected. She held a hand up to preemptively ward off Ruby's 'Lay off of Yang' comment before continuing. "We are all going to find beds in the barracks, and then we are going to talk about everything that's happened today." She looked pointedly at Ruby. "In a mature and rational manner."

"But… but… arcade games…" Yang looked crestfallen as Blake grabbed her by the arm to follow after Ruby and Weiss towards the barracks.

It only took them a few minutes before they arrived at their destination, and they found it surprisingly empty. The only people currently here were a few soldiers sleeping off their exhaustion from a recent field op. It was very easy to tell which beds were occupied and which were vacant, and the team quickly found four beds that sat opposite of each other across the main aisle. After all four had adjusted their beds and sat down, three pairs of eyes stared at Weiss, waiting for her to get on with whatever it was that she had in mind.

"Alright, so can we just talk about how _insane_ all of this is?"

Ruby cocked her head to one side. "What do you mean?"

"If we take Bradford at his word, then that means we are, at bare minimum, no longer on Remnant. These people have never even heard of Remnant."

Yang nodded, smiling. "Pretty cool, isn't it? That must make us the first interstellar travelers from Remnant!"

"Not the point I was trying to make, Yang! And if we are to go beyond bare minimum, then we're to believe that these people, wherever they're from-"

"Earth."

"Right, Earth. These people from Earth are under attack by aliens intent on killing them all."

"Glad to see you were paying attention, Ice Queen."

Both Ruby and Weiss glared at Yang before the latter continued. " _And we've just agreed to help them fight back._ "

"Well…"

"What do you mean 'Well'? Ruby, we're in a very dangerous position, and one that we have no stake in! There's absolutely no point in us sticking our necks out for these people! We don't know them, they don't know us. Why are you three so intent on helping them with their alien problem?"

"I'm helping because I fucked up."

Yang's words completely derailed Weiss's train of thought. Sure, Yang could be a bit crass, and she definitely enjoyed crude humor. But Weiss had never heard Ruby's sister swear before. Yang took the silence as her cue to continue.

"I let my desire to find my mom get the better of me, and I got us stuck in this situation. I'm sorry Weiss, but I can't just sit around and wait for other people to get around to helping us with a situation that I caused in the first place. You are under no obligation to do anything, as none of this is in any way your fault, but I would be miserable every day we were here and I wasn't doing something -anything- to get us out of this mess."

Although Weiss was still at a loss for words, she tried to at least get something out. "Yang… I…"

Ruby, noticing that her partner was floundering, decided to step in and give Weiss another angle on the situation.

"Don't forget, Weiss: we are huntresses. Helping people is what we do. These people need help, and we are able to help them. Wouldn't it feel even a little bit wrong if you just turned away from them during their time of need?"

Now that she was faced against an argument she was comfortable with, Weiss was able to formulate a proper rebuttal. "No? First off, we are huntresses- _in-training_. Very important distinction. Second, the job of a huntress is to help the people of _Remnant_ in our fight against the Grimm, not these… these Earth People in their fight against aliens."

"These people are suffering, Weiss! Dying by the thousands, getting abducted and terrorized for reasons unknown. And if this operation, this XCOM, fails? Then the lives of billions will be destroyed. Could you live with yourself knowing that there was a chance that your efforts might have changed that outcome?"

"And what good would it do if _we_ died, Ruby? What if Earth falls anyway, because we're in over our heads and trying to bite off more than we can chew? What if we never came back, and all of our friends were left wondering where we disappeared to?" Weiss paused for a moment, a thought dawning on her. "What about the conspiracy back home in Vale? What if Torchwick and his associates are stopped too late because we're not there to stop them?"

Weiss's final argument struck a chord with Ruby, whose eyes went wide as she took a moment to think about that possibility. Neither she nor Yang had anything to say about that, and Weiss crossed her arms, smiling triumphantly at her victory. It was Blake, who had been silent this whole time, that finally offered a counterpoint to Weiss's ultimate argument.

"What if they could help us?"

As usual, Blake only spoke when she had something worth saying, and this was no different. Weiss stared incredulously at her teammate. "I'm sorry… what?"

Blake stared right back at her. "Let's say none of your doom-and-gloom predictions come to pass, and we manage to help these guys save their planet. More than that, let's say that we played a very large role in the success of XCOM's operation. Couldn't we use that as leverage for their assistance against the problems we're facing back home? Sure, they're not hunters that can wield aura or semblances, but you saw the technology they have here. Beam weaponry, specialized armor… Major Vance didn't draw our attention to them, but I noticed several pilotable mechs in the armory. They weren't as big as the Atlesian Paladin, but they were big enough to wield some serious firepower."

Weiss was about to speak before Blake held up a hand to cut her off, clearly not done yet. "One other thing I noticed was the description Bradford and Vance gave us of these 'ops.' They'll send, at most, eight soldiers to secure an objective, though usually it's six." She gave Weiss a pointed stare before asking, "What other organization do you know of that operates in small numbers like that?"

"Hunters…" Ruby breathed. Blake made a mental note to never allow her team leader to join any kind of debate club, as she suspected the young girl would have her mind blown every five minutes. Still, she nodded in agreement. "Yes, Ruby. Hunters." She returned her focus to Weiss, who she could tell was mentally scrambling to come up with a counterpoint. "I'm not saying it'll be easy, because it definitely won't. But just think for a moment about the prospect of getting the aid of an organization that has experience fending off a _global invasion_. That would be a huge boon to our efforts against Torchwick and whoever he's working for."

Weiss looked around at her three companions. She could see the same look in each of their faces: the hope that Blake's final point would be enough to convince her that helping XCOM was a good idea. Sighing, Weiss held up her hands in resignation. "I suppose I'm not winning this one, am I?"

This was all Ruby needed to hear before she launched herself at her partner and gave her a bone-crushing hug. "Weiss! I knew you'd change your mind."

The leader of RWBY was met with a glare from her partner as Weiss extracted herself from their tangle of limbs. "I _didn't_ change my mind. I still think this is a terrible idea." She closed her eyes and sighed. "That being said, we made a promise to each other long ago that whatever we do, we do as a team. I'm not about to go back on that promise, and I'm _certainly_ not about to let my three best friends go off and do something incredibly dangerous while I sit back and watch. So while I don't approve of this plan whatsoever, my team does. Which means I'm going to give it my all, because you wouldn't expect anything less from a Schnee." Weiss finished her brief monologue with a huff and a cross of her arms. She was somewhat startled when she felt a small hand on her shoulder, and turned to see Ruby smile at her.

"Thank you, Weiss. This means a lot to me. To all of us. As this team's leader, I'm making you a promise that I'll do everything I can to make sure we all get through this safely."

Weiss gave her a hard stare before a smile slowly cracked on her face. "You better."

A brief silence fell on the room as the four huntresses enjoyed the moment of friendship and solidarity. The moment was interrupted, however, by the intercom.

"This is Central Officer Bradford, requesting that the new recruits please make their way to the armory ASAP. Shen's boys are ready to start outfitting you with some suitable gear."

* * *

Four days had passed since RWBY had arrived on Earth. After getting custom fitted with Carapace Armor and introduced to the operation of laser weaponry, Bradford had taken the liberty of permanently assigning Major Vance to RWBY. Curious to see if the huntresses operated together as well as they claimed, the Central Officer did not appoint Vance as the commanding officer. Instead, Ruby was given the honor (or burden, depending on how you look at it) of leading "Strike Eight", with Vance acting as a sort of veteran backup. If things got hairy out in the field, Vance would bail them out. And since Strike Eight had _four_ rookies, it was likely that the Major would be required to lend his assistance more than once while the huntresses got the hang of things.

After the assignment of Vance to Strike Eight was settled, the Major wasted little time in running the girls through training exercises. After giving his initial tour of the facility, Vance had noticed his conversation with the members of RWBY hinted that they were primarily melee fighters, and that was a tactic that simply did not fly at XCOM. He didn't blame them, and he was sure that their preferred style of combat worked well with this 'aura' they talked about. However, Vance was keen on adjusting the huntresses to XCOM's field tactics before Bradford sent them on their first mission. He would make damn sure that none of the girls died on his watch.

So the days were spent learning about moving through cover, the various aliens XCOM had encountered thus far, the best strategies for fighting each kind, optimal usage of utility items, and similar lessons in field ops. The live fire exercises had all but confirmed for Ruby the worrying truth that their aura had stopped working right the moment they arrived on Earth. She confirmed that she no longer had the ability to use her semblance, and running from cover to cover in full kit while carrying a rifle had tired out Ruby far faster than it should have. When she asked her teammates about it, they had expressed similar concerns about their own abilities. Unless Dr. Vahlen found a way to quickly rectify this, it seemed that the huntresses would have to be extra cautious during combat. A swipe or two from an Ursa was no big deal when aura could absorb the blow. A well-placed shot from a plasma rifle would probably put Ruby in the hospital for weeks… or on the memorial wall indefinitely.

The array of aliens throwing themselves against the defenses of Earth intrigued Ruby. Similar to how the Grimm had a range of species that excelled in specific areas, so too did the aliens. The lowly, scampering Sectoids formed the cannon-fodder of the invasion, though their limited psychic powers were still something to be wary about ( _especially_ when accompanied by a Sectoid Commander). The tall, smartly-dressed Thin Men were a huge pain in the ass for XCOM with their combination of acid spit and extreme mobility. Floaters seemed to be the premier flanking units for the alien host as they used their jetpacks to easily jump behind enemy lines. The brutish, intimidating Mutons were apparently the answer to the enemy's need for ground shocktroops, as their tanky physique and dangerous plasma rifles made for a lethal combination.

There were also a few melee enemies among the alien ranks. The Seekers used stealth to slip in unnoticed and strangle operatives to death, meaning that an operative acting as a lone wolf was just asking to be killed. Chryssalids, with their wicked talons and the ability to impregnate those they killed with eggs to spawn more of their horrific kind, were living nightmares straight out of a horror film. The description of the Berserker, the most dangerous melee fighter, reminded Ruby of Yang: get up in the face of your target and punch it until it can't stand up again. A hulking frame and coiled masses of powerful muscles made their simple method all the more effective. The lack of Aura really bothered Ruby here, as she was certain her team could easily go toe-to-toe with these guys if they were back on Remnant and had access to their heightened skills and usual weapons of choice.

The alien invasion force also had several mechanical enemies brought to bear against the soldiers of XCOM. Most common is the Cyberdisc, a heavy weapons platform that can lay waste to its targets with either its main cannon or by lobbing grenades. Usually accompanying a Cyberdisc is a sortie of Drones that can either move to flank XCOM operatives or repair the Cyberdisc they're escorting. Mechtoids were the alien response to XCOM's MEC troopers, a large robot frame controlled by a Sectoid pilot. Their twin Plasma Cannons were almost always fatal to any operative caught flat-footed.

While Ruby had shown a keen interest in the sniper rifle class of XCOM's armory, Major Vance had made it abundantly clear that rookies were required to run their first mission in a basic kit. After Bradford had the chance to review each Rookie's performance and proficiencies, he would then assign them to one of XCOM's eight classes of infantry. Fortunately, Carapace Armor was deemed a requirement even for new recruits, as its effectiveness against enemy weapons fire was at least twice that of its basic Body Armor cousin. Bradford had noticed a 50% decrease in Rookie mortality rates once XCOM had enough Carapace Armor for all members of an op, and so he decided that it would be the new baseline armor, and soldiers would never be required to wear anything less. So Carapace Armor and Laser Rifles it was for Team RWBY. No sniper rifles, no shotguns, no rocket launchers… just boring old rifles.

Boring or not, though, Ruby took it upon herself to make sure her new superiors were impressed. Even when Major Vance didn't have live fire training scheduled for Strike Eight, Ruby would take her fellow huntresses to the firing range for an hour or four. None of her teammates complained about the extra work, as they were more surprised and impressed at Ruby's shift into a "take charge" leader. Sure, she was charismatic, hard working, and morally grounded before, but now she seemed to have a new sense of purpose. Bradford had trusted them enough to accept RWBY as field operatives, and it seemed that Ruby was hellbent on proving he made the right decision. In the eyes of Weiss, Blake, and Yang, having a leader that could tactically assess a situation and make an informed decision was something they'd need to make it out of this in one piece. Sure, she had called out for team maneuvers and formations during past fights, but now it looked like she was taking this whole team leader thing to an entirely new level.

Her team did have some opportunities for downtime, however. Ruby knew that training around the clock would probably be counterproductive to her goals, so she made sure there were chances for the members of RWBY to be left to their own devices. She imagined that each of her friends had a different idea of fun at XCOM, and so Ruby didn't bother to suggest they all unwind as a team.

Blake, predictably, made a beeline for the library to see what books an elite organization of commandos had available. What surprised Ruby, however, was Blake's choice to select several non-fiction volumes that documented the history of Earth. Either they had a dismal selection of fiction (trashy romance or otherwise), or Blake was planning on familiarizing herself with the world they had all agreed to help. Knowledge is power, or so Ruby was told. Additionally, the elusive faunus must have found some hidey hole to read in peace, because Ruby never saw her at the library or in the barracks during downtime. She'd have to ask Blake about it: having a spot to hide away from everyone would probably come in handy.

If Blake's choice of recreational activity was predictable, Yang's was obvious from a mile away. She spent all her free time exploring the base's rec center, and she succeeded in dragging her sister along upon occasion. Ruby had to admit, she was impressed with XCOM's extracurricular facilities. In addition to the library that Blake had already discovered, the rec center had a gym, a cafeteria, a lounge, a commissary, and an electronic gaming room. Ruby discovered that, while the other sections of the rec center had a clear purpose in mind, the lounge was more of a "everything else" room. Board games, arm-wrestling, casual chatting, naps… Ruby saw a lot of stuff go down in the lounge the one time she decided to sit and people-watch. Yang was having a blast checking everything out and making new friends with the base personnel.

True to her word, Weiss did spend some time with Dr. Vahlen. She wouldn't tell Ruby what they talked about, even when Ruby pestered her about it. All she would say was that the doctor was still expecting the other three members of RWBY to come down and undergo an interview. Weiss promised Ruby that the questions weren't creepy or intimidating. In fact, most were actually quite mundane, and Weiss wasn't really sure what Vahlen hoped to learn from their answers. Either way, Ruby noticed that her partner always seemed rather pleased with herself whenever she met up with the rest of the team after spending time with the Chief Scientist. Maybe Dr. Vahlen's reputation wasn't hopeless after all. Ruby was certain that if anyone could fix it, Weiss could.

As for Ruby herself, she spent most of her free time down in engineering. Not only was she fascinated by all of the tech being built down there, but Dr. Shen was a very agreeable man. The two of them could spend hours talking about technology, especially if Shen got Ruby started on her passion for weaponry. She helped him disassemble Crescent Rose after he had finished the superficial inspection and analysis of RWBY's armaments. He took careful notes while she explained everything about the sniper-scythe's inner workings. They were so involved in the process that Ruby realized she was half an hour late for her team's next scheduled live fire training.

Four days after they had arrived at XCOM, Bradford had requested to see Strike Eight at Mission Control. When RWBY and Major Vance arrived, the Central Officer was staring at the hologlobe. Specifally, a small, flashing red dot was pinging on some continent roughly a quarter-way around the globe from the main XCOM base.

"Ladies and gentleman, an opportunity has arisen for you to put your training to the test and see if your squad is capable of handling a real alien threat. We've received word of an abduction site in the middle of London, and we'd like to send you out to eliminate any hostiles and secure the region." He glanced down at the tablet he was holding. "We've discovered that one of the benefits of the Hyperwave Relay is the ability to detect the composition of hostile forces at a potential AO. As you can imagine, this lets us send in a squad of operatives that specialize in neutralizing the specific alien types our intel has detected. Two days ago, we had our first field op since the relay went live, and have confirmed that this new method of information is reliable. The abduction in London appears to be a low priority for our alien guests, as the most dangerous foes they have fielded are a few Cyberdisks and a Sectoid Commander."

Vance chuckled. "Talk about an easy pitch for the rookies." He glanced over at Ruby's team, smiling. "I can take down a Cyberdisk in under five seconds, and I'll be way out of range for the Commander to pull any mind shenanigans on me. So as long as you don't do something stupid like stand out in the open, I can defuse a situation if it starts getting out of hand. This'll be a really good warm-up for you guys."

While she was sure Yang was getting her dander up over the implication that they needed a practice run, Ruby was secretly relieved. As much as she was getting comfortable with her rifle at the range and during live fire drills, she was sure that a lot of that training would go out the window once the targets started moving and shooting back. A nice, easy transition into wet work suited the young leader just fine. Moreover, she was happy to hear how confident Major Vance was. It sounded like he could probably run this mission solo if need be, which made Ruby feel better about their chances of a perfect (or even close to perfect) run.

"Sounds good to us." Ruby had intentionally used 'us' to cut off any complains that her sister might voice. "Should we get prepped in the armory and head out?"

Bradford nodded. "In a moment, Miss Rose. I need to go over a few things before you leave. First, we're also sending along another soldier with you that we're in the process of training up. Corporal Biggs is a Rocketeer that will be assisting you with this operation, and you may find his HEAT rockets to be useful against the Cyberdisks you encounter. Second, I'd like to briefly explain to you the concept of operative designations in the field. At HQ, you'll hear people addressed as 'Major Vance' or 'PFC Belladonna', but it's a little different on an Op. Some of our soldiers have names that are difficult to pronounce, and when Mission Control needs to be updated on the squad's status, a tongue-twister can be enough distraction to get a soldier killed. Your squad is Strike Eight, and each soldier within Strike Eight is given a numerical designation as well. 'Eight-Two' would refer to the second soldier of the squad, 'Eight-Three' the third, and so on. The exception is the squad leader, who is given the designation of 'Actual.' Since your 'Team RWBY' already has a defined order, I feel that it would be easy to keep that intact and carry it over to Actual through Four. Major Vance will be Eight-Five, while Biggs will be Eight-Six. You are to use these designations in the field when providing live intel to my tech crew here at Mission Control."

Seeing the confused look on Ruby's face, Vance stepped forward and pointed to each member of RWBY in turn. "Eight-Actual, that's you. Eight-Two is Weiss. Eight-Three is Blake. Eight-Four is Yang. Don't worry about it too much. More than likely, I'll be the one on the radio with Bradford, so you'll get an idea of how it works if you listen to us. Just focus on coordinating your team for now, the rest will come with practice."

'Eight-Actual' nodded. His explanation helped her understand the system a little better, though she still wasn't sure why it was necessary. Either way, it sounds like Bradford had been using it long before Ruby and her team showed up, so she wasn't about to question something that was already established.

"Thank you, Major Vance." Bradford turned to face Ruby once more. "You may now take your team to the armory, and the Major will lead you to the Skyranger from there. I'll provide you with additional instructions when you are en-route to the AO. Dismissed."


	5. That's XCOM, Baby!

A/N: Right, so this one's pretty long. However, it's mostly action, so I'm hoping it's a fun read. This is my first foray into writing combat, so I would be especiallyappreciative to hear feedback regarding your opinions on that in particular.

* * *

Ruby was impressed at how little turbulence she felt inside the Skyranger. Compared to the Bullheads back on Remnant, this thing was a luxury vehicle. And if Bradford was to be believed when he told her how fast it could go, the young huntress was surprised they didn't have more on hand. Her guess that it was cost-prohibitive to produce more than necessary, and so "Big Sky" was their one and only. Still, a transport that could fly at Mach 8 was amazing, and Ruby was enjoying every minute of her ride aboard this fancy piece of hardware. Even more impressive, there was so much space in the passenger deck that a full strike team could comfortably fit with room to spare. Heck, even a full team of MEC soldiers could fit comfortably in the jump seats without difficulty.

The young huntress had briefly been intrigued by the idea of piloting one of the "Mechanized Exoskeleton Cybersuits" when Major Vance had them watch one in action. An impressive exo-suit that let its pilot simultaneously wield incredible firepower and carry a great deal of utility into combat. Hardpoints on the suit could be outfitted with grenade launchers, restorative mist dispensers, EMP devices, or other equally useful utilities. An additional hardpoint allowed the pilot to wield either a flamethrower or rocket-assisted fist in his off-hand for more specialized scenarios. Finally, the armor plating on the suit allowed the MEC soldier to sustain an impressive amount of damage before falling in combat, a valuable asset that could save the life of a fellow soldier caught out in the open. Her desire to become a pilot didn't last long, however, when she discovered that MEC soldiers had to have their arms and legs removed in order to properly interface with the hardware. That was enough to convince Ruby that she was perfectly happy with her Carapace Armor and Pulse Rifle, thankyouverymuch. On the other hand, Yang told Ruby that she would totally be down to get "MEC-ified", but only if Blake also agreed. Ruby thanked her lucky stars that Blake wasn't the least bit interested in trading her limbs in for the opportunity to pilot a robot.

Looking around the deck, Ruby took stock for the fourteenth time of the squad going with her. The other members of Team RWBY were obviously present. Sitting next to her was Weiss, and across from them sat Blake and Yang. While they all carried the basic firearm and armor given to Rookies (or "PFCs", as they were officially known), each was given the freedom of choosing utility items that struck their fancy. Ruby, set on convincing Bradford that she was Sniper material, opted to take a S.C.O.P.E. and a Targeting Module. The plan was to make shots connect as often as possible and as hard as possible, and that meant improving her accuracy and ability to hit critical points. As a recommendation from Vance, she grabbed a medkit for her third utility. "You can't go wrong with a medkit, no matter what sort of soldier you are," was what he told her.

Weiss had opted for a much more defensive setup. Her first two choices were Alloy Plating and an Impact Vest, which served to further improve her armor's resistance to damage from enemy fire. She had told Ruby that if something happened to anyone on the mission, she was going to make damned sure that she would be able to safely bail them out. Vance had told them that was his job, but what if he was caught off-guard? Therefore, Weiss had taken it upon herself to become "babysitter number two" and opted to equip herself appropriately. As a final choice, she decided to pick up an Arc Thrower. Ruby wasn't sure if this was for the item's utility for capturing aliens, or simply because she wanted to tease Yang about the group's first experience with the stun gun. If it was the latter, Ruby would have to later compliment Weiss on her improving sense of humor.

Blake was intrigued by the Smoke Grenades XCOM had in the armory. Dr. Vahlen had somehow designed them to obscure the vision of combatants looking into the smoke, but not those looking out from it. The ability to drop a defensive screen gives operatives the ability to advance to tactically-advantageous-yet-defensively-questionable positions without getting pegged with enemy fire. Continuing with the theme of creating advantage, Blake had taken a Flashbang as her second utility. As with the Smoke Grenade, chucking a Flashbang made it difficult for enemies to land shots. By disorienting the aliens and impairing their aim, Blake would allow her allies to safely move up and easily neutralize the threat. Like Ruby, she had chosen to heed Vance's suggestion and take a medkit as her final selection.

Where Blake was all about using grenades to give her team a decisive edge, Yang had opted to grab grenades that excelled at forcefully exploding. After learning that the glorious rocket launcher was restricted to Rocketeer personnel only, Ruby's sister decided that grenades were an acceptable alternative. She grabbed two Plasma Grenades that had been reverse engineered from stolen alien technology. Her final choice was a High Explosive grenade. As powerful as a plasma blast was, there was something so _right_ about conventional, fiery explosives. Plus, the improved blast radius, while not helpful in killing the aliens faster compared to the Plasma Grenades, allowed the HE variant to tear down more cover being used by the invaders.

All in all, Ruby thought the four of them made for a very balanced team. It was good to have Vance and Biggs in case things started going wrong, but Ruby was confident the four newbies would be able to handle the mission with no problem.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard the Rocketeer chuckling. "Look at you kids, all decked out in your new armor and flashy laser rifles." He turned to catch the eye of Major Vance. "It's like we're going on a field trip with a squad of the Emperor's 'finest' Imperial Guards."

Without missing a beat, Weiss spoke up. "That's a violation of rule 13c, which clearly states that 'Rookies in a flak vest and armed with laser rifles are not to be referred to as Imperial Guardsmen.' While it's true we're wearing Carapace Armor instead of flak vests, the point still stands." Ruby stared at Weiss, her partner sounding almost bored as she scolded Biggs. "I'm not quite as familiar with the punishments as I am with the rules themselves, but I want to say that for this one… a week's worth of double-shifts helping the kitchen staff. That about right, Major?"

Vance, who looked extremely impressed, nodded. "That's about right." He looked back at a shocked Biggs. "You know, considering how quickly she was able to call up that information, I'm kinda obligated to report you to Bradford rather than letting it slide."

The corporal nodded dumbly. "Yeah… I'm not even mad about it. I didn't even know people actually _read_ the damn list of rules. Holy shit." He stared incredulously at Weiss before asking, "Do you even know what an Imperial Guardsman is?"

Weiss didn't even bother to look up from what she was doing before answer, "Not in the slightest."

Ruby noticed the satisfied smirk that briefly crossed Weiss's features before the pilot spoke over the Skyranger's comm system. "Alright, Strike Eight. We're about a minute out from the drop zone. Get ready to roll."

* * *

The view after stepping off the Skyranger was the first real shock Ruby experienced since tumbling through the portal four days ago. Up until now, all Ruby had seen was the inside of a military base and, for the last few hours, the inside of the Skyranger's cargo hold. Now, she was seeing firsthand the destruction caused by Earth's unwanted guests. Sure, she had seen destruction when Torchwick blasted a hole into Vale for the Grimm to pour through, but that didn't hold a candle to _this_. Burned-out buildings, streets pock-marked with craters and flaming vehicles, rubble everywhere. Smoke from all the fires filled the air and, while not low enough to pose a health risk to Strike Eight, provided a very gloomy and oppressive backdrop for Ruby's first operation.

And then there were the bodies.

She recalled Bradford saying that the mission was to break up an in-progress alien abduction, but she didn't think much of it. Now, though, she had to suppress the urge to vomit (just a little) at the sight before her eyes. Scattered along the street were… devices that Ruby could only assume were alien in design. Fanned out around them, as if caught in some kind of blast radius, were the human abductees. At least, Ruby assumed they were human. It was impossible to really tell when the victims were all plastered with some sort of green material. It looked like some sort of giant, mutant spider came along and wrapped them all in little green cocoons to save for later when she got hungry. All of the "webbed" civilians were caught in poses that showed their last moments of terror before becoming frozen for who-knows-how-long. Some were on their back, arms in front of their face as they cowered in fear. Others were on their stomachs, their arms stretched out in front of them as they tried to claw themselves away from their captors.

She stood rooted to the spot for a second, and would have stayed that way for longer, had she not felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Major Vance staring grimly out at the depressing view of London burning. "This is my twenty-third time stepping off of the Skyranger. You never get used to it, not really." He said with a sigh. "However, we've got a job to do, and that job is the only way we are going to fix this. So chin up, Eight-Actual. Your team is counting on you."

Ruby gave him an appreciative smile before nodding and striding forward to join the rest of the waiting team. "Alright Strike Eight, let's do this fast and quiet." She looked over the five operatives that stood before her. "Blake-"

"Eight-Three." Vance corrected.

"Eight-Three, you're with me on point. We'll leapfrog forward and cover each other as we proceed." She turned to Yang. "Eight-Four, you're with Eight-Six. Both of you will provide explosive support to soften up groups if they make the mistake of clustering together, with Eight-Four going first. We should save the HEAT rockets for the Cyberdisks that Central warned us about." Yang gave her a cheerful salute while Biggs just nodded.

"Eight-Two, you're playing mid-field between the point squad and Team Explosives. If someone's got a problem, you help them solve it. Eight-Five… you just do your babysitter thing." Major Vance gave Ruby a smirk and a salute before keying his mic.

"Mission Control, this is Strike Eight. We've reached the AO and are beginning to sweep the area."

Each member of Strike Eight could hear Vance's report to Bradford through their standard-issue comms, and heard Bradford's subsequent response. "Copy that, Eight. Good hunting out there."

Ruby nodded and each operative split off to follow their individual instructions.

The first five minutes of the mission proceeded very smoothly. Being on point, Ruby and Blake were the first to make contact with enemy forces. Several Floaters were clustered around a group of cocooned victims, evidently prepping them for transport. Before they even had a chance to react to the arrival of XCOM, Ruby already dropped one with a well-placed shot from her Pulse Rifle. The remaining aliens dug in behind nearby burned-out cars and began to shoot back. The point team soon found itself under heavy suppressive fire, so Ruby directed Weiss to move around and flank the aliens, using a large truck to cover her approach. While Blake and Ruby fired the occasional blind shot to keep the attention on them, Weiss's superior position allowed her to easily kill two more of the Floaters. The final one panicked, took to the sky, and was swiftly lanced by a laser beam that came out of nowhere.

"Sorry about that, Eight-Two." Came Vance's voice on the comm. "I've developed a bit of a reflex in my trigger finger, and watching one of those buggers go airborne tends to set it off. You had things handled, though. Nice job with that flank."

Strike Eight engaged several pods of Sectoids, Thin Men, and more Floaters as the team continued its sweep of the abduction site, and each alien came with its own host of headaches. The Sectoids, while pitifully weak, more than made up for it with their liberal use of psychic attacks. Ruby learned first-hand just how disorienting "Mind Fray" was, and had to sit down for a moment to recover while her squad systematically neutralized the remaining buggers.

The first time RWBY encountered a pack of Thin Men was all it took to teach them why the alien infiltrators were so widely despised at XCOM. Their high mobility allowed them to easily flank Ruby's squad just like she had directed Weiss to flank the Floaters. However, due to the Thin Men's ability to scale buildings in a single jump, they were even better at it. Weiss suffered a bad plasma burn from a particularly crafty foe that was waiting for her behind a wall as she ran past, gun poised and ready to fire. Her defensive equipment was effective in minimizing the damage, but Ruby saw the pain hidden under her carefully maintained visage. Ruby used her medkit to fix as much of the plasma burn as she could. Even if it wasn't perfect, it was enough to get Weiss functioning again with no problems.

Major Vance was a godsend for the team. Anytime Ruby had made a tactical error, or the team was simply caught off guard and pinned down in a precarious situation, a bolt from nowhere would strike and completely neutralize the danger. Not only did this avert the deadly consequences that usually came with getting flanked, but it strengthened Ruby's resolve to prove her merit as a Sniper. _She_ wanted to have that kind of power, to strike down those who tried to injure or kill her friends.

Eventually, the first Cyberdisc (or "Cyberdick", as Biggs called it) arrived, crashing out of a storefront window and into the street. Its sleek, compact form drifted elegantly into the center of the street, flanked by three drones that followed it like little ducklings. Immediately, Ruby ordered everyone to find cover while the drones began to pepper Strike Eight with a volley of shots from their beam weapons. Its prey sufficiently distracted, the Cyberdisc unpacked its chassis and shifted into its "assault mode" within seconds. Ruby noted that the Cyberdisc's assault mode had cannons.

Two _very_ large cannons.

"Hunker down!" She shouted, and the deafening roar of the disc's onslaught soon filled the air. Super-heated beams of death sizzled overhead as Ruby hugged asphalt. Eventually, the volley stopped and Ruby got back up to her feet. "Eight-Six! You're up with that rocket!"

"Yep! Rocket's on its way!"

Ruby heard a 'Fire in the hole!' and watched the explosive streak past her and slam into the mechanical construct. While the damage was very apparent, the Cyberdisc was not entirely destroyed yet.

"Cyberdick's been shredded! Hit it with everything you've got, Rooks!"

Almost in unison, all four huntresses took aim at the robot and fired off a short burst from their rifles. The one drone that survived the rocket's blast opted to take shots at the attackers while they were exposed. Ruby grunted as the drone beam struck her square in the chest, but the Carapace Armor was very effective in absorbing all the damage from the comparatively low-powered shot. After a few more volleys of concentrated fire, the Cyberdisc began to spark before dropping to the street and exploding in a ball of flame.

"Nicely done, Strike Eight. That was some fine coordination there, Actual." Ruby smiled when she heard Major Vance's compliment over the comms. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

They continued to sweep the area, taking out another Cyberdisc sortie and two more Floater pods. One of the Floaters managed to nail Biggs with a rather brutal burst of plasma. Blake offered to use her medkit to patch him up, especially since he didn't have the armored plating that Weiss did when she had suffered a bad hit. The Corporal waved her off, stating that he was fine and that she should save the medkit for later. If they finished the mission with no problems, he'd take her up on her offer before the ride back to base. As the group proceeded, they arrived in front of a large commercial garage.

Blake held a hand up, signaling for a full stop before whispering, "Hey… you guys hear that? Sounds like Sectoids scampering around in that building." She paused for a moment and closed her eyes. "Sounds like there's about seven of them."

Biggs raised an eyebrow. "Either you've got ridiculously good hearing, Three, or you're just fucking with us about that headcount. Best I can do is determine if there's an amount of aliens over in some direction, and that's on a good day."

Ruby saw her friend shift uncomfortably and decided to step in. "Eight-Three has had exceptional hearing for as long as I've known her. I'd trust that headcount with my life. So the plan is to proceed like normal: I take point with Three, Two provides backup and and stands ready to flank, Four and Six provide explosive support. What's your supply count?"

"One rocket and one HE grenade." Yang replied.

"That should be more than enough. Five, you just sit back and watch the show. I hope we're not boring you…?"

Vance chuckled over the comm. "Nah. You guys are doing fantastic, and I'm really enjoying the entertainment from way up here."

Ruby looked around, trying to spot their sniper support. "Up where?"

"Trade secret. Don't worry, I'll personally train you in my stealthy ways when you join the Sniper club."

"That's… not a sure thing, Five."

"You kidding? I told you I've been watching this whole time, Actual. Your aim is crazy good."

Ruby was glad that the only person who could see her blushing right now was Blake. "We'll worry about that when we get back. For now, let's just take this slow and try to finish on a high note."

"Roger. Be careful, though: Central mentioned a Sectoid Commander in their intel from the Hyperwave Relay, and we haven't seen the little bastard yet. He immediately becomes Priority One when he shows his ugly mug, but don't get careless and expose yourself while trying to kill him."

"Noted, Five. Alright, let's do this. Two, move up to the building's wall and wait for an opportunity to flank. Four and Six, take cover about fifteen meters away, but make sure you've got a clear view inside of the garage. If need be, we can fall back and you can take out the Sectoids as they chase us. Eight-Three, let's move."

Ruby and Blake stepped across the threshold into the garage. It was a very large auto body shop that (thankfully) had lots of cover in the form of cars, pneumatic lifts, and concrete columns. The two operatives immediately took cover behind the closest car while the rest of Strike Eight got into position.

"Picking up any more sound cues?" Ruby whispered. Blake was quiet while she listened, then shook her head.

"No," She whispered back, "I guess they heard us coming in and took up a defensive position. We should be careful."

Nodding, Ruby peeked around their cover and took a good look at their surroundings. The garage was remarkably well-intact, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. No toppled tool carts, no smashed car windows… if Blake hadn't heard the Sectoids with her faunus senses, Ruby would have skipped the auto shop entirely. Without a word, she signaled for Blake to move up to a column halfway into the garage. Rifle at the ready to kill any Sectiods attempting to shoot her exposed squadmate, she watched as Blake noiselessly picked her way across the room. Once she had taken up her position behind cover, it was Ruby's turn to move up. She picked a sturdy-looking jeep close to Blake and quickly took cover behind it. Her mic buzzed quietly in her ear as Major Vance's voice came through.

"Everything's normal out here, Eight-Actual. What's going on inside?"

"No contacts yet." She responded. "The Sectoids haven't made their move. We're slowly working our way through the building."

"Understood, Actual. Stay frosty in there."

Ruby wasn't superstitious, nor did she particularly believe in bad luck, but the next five seconds made her seriously consider carrying a rabbit paw for the rest of her life. Almost immediately after Vance's warning to be careful, Ruby saw Blake perk up. She barely had time to say "contacts" before a volley of plasma tore into the metal and concrete shielding the huntresses.

"Eight-Five, this is Three. We're under concentrated fire from what seems to be the entire squad of Sectoids. Four and Six, can you see them?"

"Yeah, but they're scattered a bit." Biggs responded. "I won't be able to get 'em all with my rocket. Think you can bait the little shits into grouping up?"

"We'll see what we can- Ruby MOVE."

Ruby launched herself away from the jeep and towards Blake's cover not a moment too soon. The jeep, which had begun to smolder from the first wave of plasma, went up in a fiery explosion. Heat, shattered glass, twisted aluminum flew out in every direction, and Ruby was suddenly grateful for Bradford's mandate that all soldiers were given Carapace Armor as a bare minimum. She let her momentum from the dive carry her into a roll, and she came up next to Blake, who was trying to get a good look at the alien positions.

"I can't tell where they came from. Maybe they set up an ambush and were waiting for us to get far enough into the garage to spring it. We'll be exposed if we try to make a direct retreat back to the garage door."

Ruby's ear crackled as she heard Weiss, a moderate level of concern in voice. "Actual, I don't have a good view from my position. Do you need me to come in and assist?"

"Not yet," Ruby answered, "Not through the front door, anyway. Sweep the building perimeter and see if you can find a side entry. It'd be better if you can flank them and we can set up a two-sided attack."

"On it." Came Weiss's crisp reply.

Ruby's thoughts returned to the problem she was currently facing. "Maybe if we retreat sideways and not backwards, we can get them to follow us. With any luck, they'll even ball up for Biggs. There's a group of cars to our right that would give us pretty good protection, and it' far enough away that they'll be forced to move closer to get any kind of accuracy. We need to move _somewhere_ at any rate: this column's not going to last much longer."

Blake glanced over at the cars Ruby had pointed out and frowned. "It's good cover, yes, but we'd be totally exposed while trying to dash over there. Unless…" Her hand reached into the pocket carrying her Smoke Grenade and pulled it out. "I can make cover for us while we move."

She pulled the pin and lightly tossed the canister into the wide open space separating the huntresses from their new position. Within seconds, a dense cloud of pink smoke burst forth from the device and quickly created a large "wall" that was almost impossible to see through.

"Let's go!" Blake shouted, and the two of them sprinted from their column. A few bursts of plasma zipped around the pair as they ran through the cloud. One bolt managed to graze Ruby's leg and caused her to yelp in surprise and pain as she dashed towards the target. The pair cleared the smoke and vaulted over the truck in front of them and ducked into safety. Ruby made a note to make sure someone on the team was always carrying smoke for situations like this. She did a quick once-over on her Pulse Rifle before turning back to Blake.

"You get hit during the run?"

Blake shook her head. "No, but it sounded like you did. A few almost got me, but I was lucky enough to dodge them."

Ruby muttered under her breath about Blake's stupid kitty luck before she peeked out from their new position. "Alright, now to get the little guys chasing after us. On my mark, just shoot in their general direction, and hopefully they'll start making their way over here."

After Blake nodded and began checking over her own rifle, Ruby clicked her comm on. "Two, how's that flank looking?"

She heard Weiss respond with a sigh. "Found a door, but it's got a burnt-out car stacked against it. This wouldn't be a problem, except the door opens outward, so…"

"Understood. Alright, come back around to the front. After Six gives us a firework show, you'll move in and help us clean up. Four, you follow up after Two."

"Aye aye, Captain!" Came the cheery response from Ruby's sister. She was almost certain that Yang was saluting, even though she knew Ruby wouldn't be able to see it.

Ruby looked at Blake. "You ready?"

Blake's nod was all that was needed before the two stood up and swung their rifles around. Now it was XCOM's turn to throw out a barrage, as orange light brightened the dim lighting in the garage and streaked towards the Sectoid position. Once the plasma started to sail back at them, the huntresses ducked back down into cover.

"That get them moving, Six?"

"Yep, they're advancing. Not as tight as I'd like, but it shouldn't be any- ah, Christ, the Commander just did a mass Mind Merge."

"Is that a problem?" Ruby knew about the mind merge ability Sectoids had. It allowed one to "buff" another, making it harder to kill. She didn't know if the Commander's version was more powerful.

"Ehhh, maybe. A few more will probably survive the rocket, but the main issue for you will be the accuracy boost they'll get from the Commander's influence. Be careful."

"We'll be fine. Speaking of the rocket, though…"

Ruby could hear Biggs grunt as he pulled the launcher off his back. "Yep, coming right up."

What followed was a series of sounds and events that left Ruby thoroughly confused and concerned until her brain caught up with her senses. First, the far-off sound of plasma discharging. Second, the closer sound of Biggs's rocket firing. Third, the voice of her sister screaming "holy shit!" over the comm coupled with the sound of a rocket exploding. Ruby expected the exploding rocket, since that was the whole point of Biggs launching it. What she didn't expect was to hear the rocket explode behind her, followed by a chain reaction of cars exploding as each one set off the next. The whole chain probably took no longer than a few seconds, and both Blake and Ruby were thrown to their backs when the last car went off close enough to physically knock them off their feet. Ruby was launched into the car in front of her and had the wind knocked out of her lungs.

Ruby lay on the hard concrete for a moment, dazed and confused, while she heard loud and panicked shouting from various sources in her earpiece. The voices seemed far away, though, and another seemed to drown them out.

 _Kill._

Ruby winced and tightened her grip on her rifle. Her body felt strange, like it was struggling to fight off the strings of some puppet master.

 _Kill the other._

Her vision began to cloud as she looked over at Blake, who was still getting her bearings from the explosive shock. Ruby shut her eyes to will away the blurred vision and strange voice, but it didn't work. A feeling of pain was also starting to work its way up her leg.

 _Kill it now!_

 _No,_ Ruby thought, _this is wrong. That's Blake. She's my teammate._

She balled up her fist and slammed it down into her leg. The sudden and massive flare in pain immediately pulled Ruby out of her internal struggle and forced her to look down. A shard of metal from one of the exploding cars had managed to wedge itself between the ablative plating in her armor. And Ruby realized she had just punched it clean into her thigh. Her eyes watered from the pain as she fought the urge to scream. So much was going wrong right now, the only positive news was that the voice telling her to kill Blake had stopped.

While she was sitting down and trying not to think about the miserable pain she was in, Ruby could hear Major Vance practically shouting to what was probably Mission Control.

"-a sniper rifle! The Thin Man had a fucking sniper rifle! I didn't know these alien fucks even _made_ plasma sniper rifles, but I saw it with my own fucking eye, Central!"

That explained the plasma discharge Ruby had heard.

"We'll worry about that when we have time, Eight-Five. What's the rest of the situation?" The calm, collected voice of Central Officer Bradford cut through Ruby's addled mind like a lighthouse beacon to a shipwrecked sailor lost at sea. As she listened to Vance's sitrep, she started to gingerly pick herself up with some help from Blake.

"Eight-Six managed to pull the trigger before his head got vaporized, but the impact of the plasma threw his aim. Shot went wide and hit a car in the garage instead of the Sectoids that Six was aiming for. As I'm sure you can imagine, the car detonated when the rocket did, and since Actual and Three were investigating an auto body shop… well, the whole front face of the building is a burning wreck, and there's no way to go in that way and provide backup."

"Damn…" Ruby had to hand it to Bradford: even when when a situation was rapidly spiraling out of control, he was capable of not losing his head and remaining focused. His calm, understated curse after hearing that one of his soldiers had their head vaporized led Ruby to believe this wasn't his first time dealing with a bad-to-worse situation. It hadn't really hit her back at their first meeting when he said that the costs of XCOM's achievements were "paid in blood," and it suddenly dawned on Ruby that this was probably more normal than she cared to admit.

What if the life of a Huntress was equally gruesome? She and her friends had their fair share of dangerous encounters, but they were lucky so far. What would happen if (or worse… when) one of her teammates fell like Biggs did? The thought made Ruby's skin crawl.

While Ruby's mind was wandering to less-than-cheerful places, pain once again raced through her body. She looked down in pained shock and saw that Blake had taken advantage of Ruby's distracted state to yank out the metal without opposition. Immediately after, she pulled out her medkit and sprayed the soothing mist over the bleeding wound. Meanwhile, Vance continued his conversation with Bradford.

"I'm definitely keeping a sharper eye out for more surprises out here, Central, but I can't see a way to quickly get through to the shop's interior. Eight-Two did a sweep of the perimeter before shit hit the fan, and reported no other accessible points of entry. It looks like the two Rookies cut off in there."

"Like hell they are!" Ruby winced. She had heard Weiss get mad before, and on many occasions. This anger, however, was on a different level entirely. She wasn't sure if she was mad at Ruby for getting stuck in a burning garage, mad at Vance for letting this happen to the Rookies (or possibly for his defeatist outlook on the situation), mad at the aliens for starting the chain of events, or mad at the universe for trying to kill her partner and friend, but Weiss's voice was positively livid.

"Yang, you're with me. Get that grenade ready, and get your ass over here." Ruby smiled at Blake as a means of wordlessly saying that the wound no longer hurt thanks to Blake's efforts. She had considered speaking over the comms to let the rest of Strike Eight know that they were okay, but she decided it would be a poor decision to risk interrupting Weiss's growing rage. And as awful as it sounded, it was very possible that the uncertain condition of their partners was spurring the other half of RWBY to immediate and decisive action.

"You're an explosives expert. Find a weak point in the wall, jam your grenade in there, and give me an opening. If you can't find a weak point, _then we'll make one_."

Ruby and Blake did a very quick inspection of their equipment (Ruby was glad Vance had introduced her team to the concept of "tap-rack-bang" as a quick method of troubleshooting their firearms) before rising up as a cohesive pair to fire back at the advancing Sectoids.

"I'm hearing pulse fire from inside. Ruby and Blake are still fighting!"

"Actual and Three, Eight-Two-"

" _Not the time, Major._ " Even as she was taking potshots at the entrenched aliens, Ruby giggled slightly. She noticed Weiss's previous breach in protocol, and thought it was sort of endearing that the current situation was stressful enough for her prim-and-proper partner to throw XCOM's rules to the wind. "How's the charge coming?"

"You'll want to start backing up. I'm about to prime the explosive, so it's gonna get a little chunky in a few seconds."

"Two, Four, this is Actual. If your breach works, we'll do what we can to keep the Sectoid fire drawn to us while you sweep in and hammer their flank."

Blake had reached into her other pocket, and Ruby's heart soared when she saw the Flashbang come out. She had completely forgotten that Blake had taken one, and felt like she had found a fifty lien note under a couch seat when she watched Blake pull the pin in anticipation.

"We'll let you know in three… two…"

 _BANG._

"Breach successful!" Yang shouted. Blake stood up took aim for a fraction of a second, and chucked the device into the largest Sectoid concentration before ducking back down. A bright flash and a subdued _piff_ marked the detonation of Blake's ace in the hole.

"Eight-Two, the Sectoids have been flashed, courtesy of Three. Move in and take them out."

"Don't need to tell me twice!" Came Weiss's thunderous reply. She hadn't even bothered to use the comm as she came storming through the smoke and rubble, rifle blazing as she charged the Sectoid backline.

Ruby and Blake took the opportunity of the combined distraction to re-locate once more. Several streams of plasma whizzed past them, but the majority of the Sectoids were either too stunned to shoot or too busy fending off the Schnee Offensive. Ruby was grateful for Blake's medkit, since running would have probably been impossible without it.

"If you have an opening, take out the Commander." Reminded Vance. "He's still mind-merged with the others. You kill him, and the feedback will also fry the rest."

"I see him." Weiss responded through gritted teeth. She had stopped for a brief moment to reload after her surprise assault had successfully swept through the three closest Sectoids. She looked up and saw Yang hefting a small propane tank.

"Hey boss, how good are you at shooting a moving target?"

Ruby peeked out from cover and caught her sister's eye, and they both shared a grin. Ruby brought her rifle up, took aim at where she expected Yang to throw the tank, and shouted, "Ready!"

Yang leaned back and heaved the container as hard as she could. Even without the support of Aura, she had an impressive throwing arm, and Ruby watched as the tank sailed through the air and plummeted towards the Sectoid Commander. At the last possible moment, Ruby breathed out and gently pulled the trigger on her rifle. The laser discharged, and cleanly connected with Ruby's target. The propane ignited, detonating the tank and launching the Commander out of cover. Weiss stood up, charged the exposed alien, and emptied her just-reloaded rifle into the alien's face. Long after the Commander had died (and thanks to the feedback, his underlings along with him), Weiss stood over his corpse discharging bolt after bolt into his skull.

It was only when her gun had run dry did she drop it and look up at her approaching partner. Ruby watched as her face instantly transformed from twisted hate into overwhelming relief as the two stood face-to-face. For the first time since Ruby had known Weiss Schnee, her friend reached out and pulled her into a bone-crushing embrace.

In a voice barely above a whisper, Ruby heard Weiss mutters four words packed with more emotion than the "Ice Queen" had ever conveyed:

"Thank Remnant you're okay."


	6. Concealment

A/N: Uploading a few hours early, because I won't be able to get to my computer later today and I'd rather post early than tomorrow.

Before we get to the chapter itself, there's something I wanted to talk about. It's come up more than once in reviews now, so I felt it was worth addressing for readers who feel similarly but haven't had the inclination to put their thoughts into words. If I've already responded to you personally about this, feel free to skip to the chapter, as I don't think I'm adding anything you haven't heard from me previously.

Basically, the concern has come up regarding why I have removed RWBY's access to Aura and their personal weapons. It is, in my opinion, a perfectly valid question, as the ass-kicking that the hunters dish out is half the fun (or more) of the show. Why, then, did I take it out? The answer is a product of trying to balance the canon of both XCOM and RWBY. In RWBY, the characters are superheroes who beat face and take names. Any mistakes that result in retaliation from their foes are simply absorbed by the defensive power of their Auras. In XCOM, the soldiers are _not_ unstoppable heroes, and are always faced with the possibility that the next shot from a Thin Man or Outsider will crit and drop them faster than you can say "well, shit.". That fear of what's around the next corner is, in my opinion, critical to the core of what XCOM is.

So no matter what I did, I would be going against one of the two canon's I'm playing with. In the end, I felt that having four Rookies who could wipe the floor with a pack of Mutons and completely annihilate a pod of Heavy Floaters, while hilariously awesome for a chapter or two, would not make for a very interesting story in the long term. So I went the other direction and opted to power down the incredible strength of our main characters. If this does not appeal to you, I am truly sorry. I had to make a choice, and this is the one I went with. I can, however, assure you that the characters of RWBY will not simply be re-skinned XCOM soldiers for the entirety of the story. The locks will slowly come off as the stakes get higher, and they will have the opportunity to curbstomp the alien invaders. Just... not yet.

With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy this update.

* * *

After the events at the auto body shop, the mission quickly wrapped up. A thorough (but very careful) sweep revealed no more contacts, so Strike Eight packed up and left. The local authorities would take care of city cleanup after the abduction attempt, which meant XCOM's job in the area was done. The ride back to base was very quiet and tense. After the adrenaline had worn off and Ruby had time to think, the impact of Biggs's death hit her like a truck.

Ruby didn't know him very well, so it wasn't so much that she had lost a friend. She had failed him. He had entrusted her with his life, and she had failed him. For the first time in her (short) career as a leader, someone had died while following Ruby Rose, and that affected her more deeply than she anticipated. Vance, the kind soul that he was, handled the transportation of Biggs's corpse without the help of any of the huntresses. Ruby wasn't sure how she would have reacted if she had seen the Corporal's headless body. Instead, Vance told them to sit down and take a breather while he carried Biggs back to the Skyranger and secured him safely out of sight before coming back for the rest of Strike Eight.

So while the Skyranger flew them back to base, Vance watched as Ruby wore a thousand-yard stare. Weiss had managed to fall asleep next to her partner while Yang and Blake looked like they were having a full conversation with just facial expressions and body language, which left nothing for Ruby but introspection. And if Vance had learned anything from his own experience with losing soldiers, it was that introspection was the last thing Ruby needed right now.

"Hey."

Ruby glanced up wordlessly at the Major. There was a hint of curiosity in her expression, but it was hard to detect behind her blank face.

"It wasn't your fault."

The young girl before him still said nothing. The silence dragged on for another minute before Vance tried again with a different approach.

"Has anyone shown you the memorial wall at HQ?"

Ruby shook her head.

"I'm sure you've heard of it even if you haven't seen it. It's a complete record of all the men and women we've lost in XCOM's fight against the alien invasion." He paused to see if Ruby would react. When she didn't, he continued. "There are thirty-four names on that wall, spanning the sixty-plus operations we have undertaken since XCOM's activation." Still no reaction." With few exceptions, every one of those names had a squad leader who had to come to terms with the loss of a soldier under his or her command."

When Ruby's expression still didn't change, Vance leaned across the space until their faces were inches apart. "For seven of those names," he whispered, his voice barely audible above the dull thrumming of the Skyranger's engines, "that squad leader was me."

That succeeded in getting a reaction out of the young girl. Ruby's eyes widened in surprise as Vance shared with her his confession. The motion was so slight, but Vance noticed it nonetheless. "I lost three of them in one abduction op, two in a terror attack, and one each in two different landed UFO sites." He closed his eyes as he thought about the faces of his dead comrades. "The abduction op hit me the hardest. They were my first losses, and I can't even begin to tell you what it was like to return to HQ with a half-empty Skyranger."

The two sat in silence for a solid minute while Vance tried to wrangle his next thoughts into words. "It was hard coming to grips with the fact that they were gone and I was responsible for it. It affected me in a bad way, and the next two only compounded the problem." Vance frowned as he realized that his this train of thought was probably counterproductive to his goal. He paused once more as he attempted to marshal his thoughts in a way that would help the young woman sitting across from him. "Eventually, enough was enough and Bradford pulled me aside to talk to me. He told me something that resonated deeply with me and helped fight off the guilt that was slowly taking over my mind and soul."

He noticed that he now had Ruby's undivided attention. The curiosity on her face was slowly overcoming the blank stare she had been wearing for the past hour. "He told me that, had those soldiers gone into their last op knowing they wouldn't return… had they known that their life was to be sacrificed for the safety of their mothers, fathers, husbands, and sisters… nothing would have changed. They would have still stepped aboard the Skyranger and performed their duty to the very last breath."

Vance smiled at Ruby. "XCOM doesn't draft soldiers. We get volunteers from organizations all across the globe. Humanity's best, brightest…" he halted for dramatic effect and gave Ruby a meaningful look.

"… and bravest. We do what we must _because_ we must, and Corporal Biggs was no different. A chance to save the whole world from total and utter annihilation? And the only cost is possibly losing your life in the line of duty? Every soldier here has weighed the worth of their life versus the billions they're protecting. In their minds, the choice was a no-brainer."

Vance's expression took on a contemplative tone as he posed a question for Ruby. "You and you friends made the same choice, did you not? To become huntresses that fight off the forces of darkness that plague your world?"

"… Yes."

Victory. Vance smiled at his success in starting to pull Ruby out of her shell. It was a single word, but it was a word all the same. "If you knew that tomorrow you would have to die to save the lives of your entire nation, would you still do it?"

The wait between the end of Vance's question and Ruby's response was agonizing as each second was punctuated by a loose harness quietly rattling in the cargo hold, but the huntress eventually answered.

"… Yes."

Vance nodded. "Then honor Biggs, and the rest of the soldiers on the memorial wall, by moving forward and striving to learn from their sacrifice. There is nothing more that they would ask for."

A small tear formed in the corner of Ruby's eye and silently fell down her cheek. Vance watched as she stared at her hands for a long time, and almost missed it when she spoke next.

"Thank you," Ruby said, barely above a whisper.

They rode the rest of the way to HQ without another word, though there was no longer tension in the silence.

* * *

Dr. Vahlen didn't bother to look up from her console when she heard a quiet knock on the open door to her personal lab. She had just finished her first meeting with Ruby Rose, and figured she had one more question for the doctor or something similar.

"Forgot something, Miss Rose?"

"No, though I passed her on the way here." Vahlen's head shot up upon hearing a voice that was definitely not that of the bubbly girl who she had been talking to five minutes before. Instead, she saw a young woman dressed entirely in black and white staring at her with piercing golden eyes. The last of the newcomers to stop by and allow Vahlen to interview them.

"Ah, forgive me. You must be Miss…" She checked her tablet for the woman's name, "Belladonna?"

Her guest nodded without saying a word. When Vahlen waited for her to speak, she was met with uncomfortable silence. Well, uncomfortable for Vahlen, as Blake Belladonna seemed perfectly content to just stare at her. Vahlen remembered that this was the "quiet one" that Weiss had told her about, and figured that unprompted speech was probably not one of her strong points.

"Am I to assume you're here for the interview that the rest of your companions have already completed?"

"Yes." Well, it was better than a nod.

"Excellent." Vahlen pulled up the interview form on her tablet as she rose from her seat. "You should know that the interview is not strictly verbal. As you and your friends are not from Earth, I would like to examine your biology to complement the information you provide by answering my questions." When Dr. Vahlen noticed Blake looked uncomfortable with this new information, she added, "Is this acceptable for you?"

"It… depends on what you're examining."

Vahlen shrugged. "Genetics, bone structure, tissue composition… standard testing procedures, really. You all look human, yet you're not of Earth. This raises questions that I hope my data can answer. None of the tests are invasive, I assure you. The equipment and facilities provided by XCOM are very advanced. You won't have to do more than change into the patient gown I'll be providing for you and lay down on a table."

Where Blake had looked uncomfortable before, she outright _froze_ at the mention of changing. "Is everything alright, Miss Belladonna?"

"It's just Blake," the girl mumbled, "and everything's not really alright."

Curious. Dr. Vahlen noted that the other three girls were perfectly fine with the patient gown and the tests, and yet this one was uncomfortable with the prospect. Maybe Blake had some sort of odd phobia?

"Very well, Blake. Would you mind telling me what's not alright about this? Perhaps we can reach some sort of compromise."

"I'm not a fan of changing out of my clothes." Blake mumbled, eyes looking off to the side to avoid meeting Vahlen's. The doctor sighed at the revelation. While the machinery used in the tests was not invasive, it was easily disrupted by most standard materials. The patient gowns she had on hand were specifically designed to avoid such interference and maximize the accuracy of data collected. While this certainly wasn't the most uncommon phobia in Vahlen's experience, the gown was unfortunately non-negotiable.

"If you're uncomfortable with changing in front of me, that's quite alright. We have some privacy curtains in the back, or I can simply leave the room until you're done." This was likely not the issue, but it was at least worth trying. Even if the problem went deeper, Vahlen had learned that showing some degree of compassion or understanding was oftentimes enough to get the patient over their fear and comply.

"It's… not that."

Damn.

"Well, could you tell me what it is?"

"I'd rather not."

Vahlen wracked her mind for a solution to this problem. She could just drop the tests and leave it at that, but not only would the information likely prove valuable, the doctor was curious now. First, though, she needed some caffeine. It was starting to get late when Blake had decided to drop by. She put her tablet down on the table and started walking towards the back of the room.

"Do you like coffee, Blake?" She asked over her shoulder.

"I prefer tea, actually."

Vahlen chuckled. "Then you're lucky that Dr. Shen shares a similar preference. He keeps a personal stash in here for when we spend long nights working on a particularly difficult piece of research. Have a seat while I make you some. Is jasmine tea alright?"

"Probably, I'm not picky."

Blake found an empty chair and sat down while Dr. Vahlen went about preparing their drinks. The doctor noticed that Blake was perfectly content to wait in silence, opting to pull out a book she had brought with her instead of talking with Vahlen about… well… anything. She wondered if Blake was here of her own accord, or because her team leader had asked her to visit. When the tea was finished, Vahlen shut the only door to her lab and circled back to hand Blake her cup. She noted that the book Blake had was about American history.

"Surprising that you would interest yourself with the history of a country you've never heard of before."

Blake shrugged. "It's interesting to observe a nation that seems to struggle with its identity. It claims to accept immigrants of all kinds, yet mistreats citizens of foreign nationalities for, as far as I can tell, no reason." She looked up at Vahlen questioningly. "It almost tore itself apart over the subjugation of an entire group simply because their skin was dark."

The doctor swirled the tea in her cup while she thought of a response. "If you jump ahead another hundred years or so, you'll read of another war where one faction was murdering civilians by the millions, and the only reason was because their religious preference." She took a sip of her tea and set it down. "Major Vance is an American, and he does not consider himself superior to those of African origin. I am German, and I do not believe in murdering people for their practice of Judaism. I take it this subject is something that resonates with you?"

The nod Blake gave her was so slight, Vahlen almost wasn't sure if it was real or imagined. "This… wouldn't have anything to do with our previous discussion of clothes, would it?"

Blake looked Dr. Vahlen dead in the eye and spoke in a low tone. It wasn't menacing, but it was the tone of someone who had a lot of anger frustration pent up and was carefully, _very_ carefully, letting it out. "Dr. Vahlen, have you ever been the victim of racism?"

"I admit, I have not. I've been called a 'mad German scientist' upon occasion, likely a reference to some of the atrocities committed by my aforementioned countrymen, but that's not quite the same, is it?"

"It's not." Blake responded, dropping her eyes to the cup of tea sitting next to her, so far untouched. "My whole life has been spent having to deal with this issue. Even when I joined an academy for hunters, a place where all the students were training to work together towards the common goal of protecting our kingdom, I still witnessed it. These students are supposedly the best of the best, and yet they're still ignorant enough to enjoy tormenting others for being different." She set her book down and tried the tea. Vahlen was pleased that, even if their conversation wasn't enjoyable, Blake seemed to appreciate the jasmine flavor.

"When my friends and I found ourselves here and discovered we were no longer on Remnant, I was curious to see if racism was something present only on our world. Instead, it seems to be a blight on intelligent life no matter where you look."

Vahlen let out a thoughtful 'hmm' while she considered Blake's words. The enigma that called itself Blake was starting to slowly make sense. "It's true, you will almost assuredly find racists and bigots wherever your travels take you. Sadly, Earth is not quite as free from such issues as you or I would hope. However, I think you will find that most people you encounter do not accept such practices. Those are the people you work with, while the others you must simply ignore."

She took a sip of her tea and savored the flavor. Vahlen thought of herself as more of a coffee girl, but she had to admit that Dr. Shen knew his stuff when it came to this tea business. Every now and then, she'd sneak a cup when the idea of coffee didn't sound as appetizing as it usually did. "One good thing has come out of this alien invasion business. With such a dangerous common enemy, the people of the world have come together to work towards our survival as a species. While there are still some who remain distrustful of their fellow humans, even in this dire hour, I feel that I can confidently say that this is not the case for the vast majority, _especially_ here at XCOM."

Dr. Vahlen gave Blake her best warm smile. Considering she never did much smiling anymore, she hoped it came out right. "You and your friends are doing a very noble thing by joining us in our fight for survival. Whatever racism you may have had to endure in the past, I'm almost certain you won't find it here."

Blake stared at her for a long time. Vahlen would by lying if she said it didn't start to make her feel uncomfortable (again), but it seemed like she was the first person here at XCOM that Blake trusted enough to talk about this matter. If it was truly important, the doctor was glad to endure such discomfort for her patient's sake.

Finally, Blake stood up and walked over to the door. For a brief moment, Dr. Vahlen's heart sank as she though the girl was simply going to walk out. Instead, she locked the door and turned back to face Vahlen. "Just so we understand each other: not a word of what I'm about to show you is to leave this room."

Dr. Vahlen smiled, and for once the gesture came easy to her. "I don't know how medical practice works where you come from, but here on Earth we have what is known as 'Doctor-Patient Confidentiality Laws.' Your secret is absolutely safe with me, and will not be revealed unless you decide to do so yourself."

She watched as Blake let out a deep breath before reaching up and untying the bow she seemed to always wear. As it fell away, Dr. Vahlen was unable to suppress a brief look of shock when a pair of cat ears could be seen sitting atop her head. Even in her surprise however, Blake's look of apprehension was not lost on the doctor.

"Fascinating…" she breathed, her eyes glued to the ears as she approached Blake, "May I… may I touch them?"

Blake nodded, though she was still staring at Vahlen, gauging her reaction. The doctor reached out with a single hand, taking extreme care to be gentle with Blake's ears. As one would expect from a cat, they were very soft to the touch, and twitched reflexively at Vahlen's touch.

"Are they vestigial, or do they actually provide you with superior auditory senses?"

Blake removed Dr. Vahlen's hand from her head before nodding. "They work." She pulled her hair back, revealing her "human" ears. "I have both kinds, but my faunus ears are more effective. My eyes are also better at seeing in the dark "

Though Blake hadn't explained what a faunus was, it didn't take a genius like Dr. Vahlen to understand. "Are all faunus like you? With cat ears and eyes?"

"No, we vary greatly in the traits we possess." Vahlen could see a look of pride on Blake's face as she thought about her people. "Some have the tail of a monkey, others the ears of a rabbit…" Just as quickly as it had come, the pride vanished, replaced by sadness. "All of us looked down upon."

Dr. Vahlen sighed. "And that is a true tragedy. All too often, people look at something different from themselves, and the only thing they can see is a threat. Their fear is so powerful, it blinds them to the _possibilities_ that such differences can offer."

The doctor walked back over to her desk and sat down behind her console. "Are you familiar with XCOM's genetic modification program, Blake?"

There was a slight pause as Blake considered Vahlen's words before responding, "No."

With a tap, Vahlen brought up a hologram image between the two women. It showed an innumerable volume of strange, triangular mechanisms that seemed to be floating freely in some sort of liquid. Small bolts of electricity arced from one triangle to another, and the devices started to pull together to form a rapidly glowing chain.

"Early on in our fight against the aliens, we discovered this resource that we decided to call 'meld.' Using meld, we are able to attach one of two things to the organic material of our soldiers: cybernetic structures, allowing for interface with mechanized constructs; or foreign organic material, allowing us to safely implant genetically altered adaptations of an alien's own systems into the biological structure of our combatants." She looked up at Blake. "Rather than simply declaring the aliens to be abominations that must simply be annihilated, we have decided to use our research and understanding of their biology to adapt ourselves in a way that lets us use _their own advantages against them_."

The hologram changed, becoming a full-body representation of a human. Small "blips" appeared on the hologram's brain, eyes, heart, arm, and legs. "We have developed gene mods that allow us to enhance our soldiers in these areas. With every new alien life form we encounter, we have been able to determine a new modification to add to our list of options.

Dr. Vahlen nodded towards Blake's ears. "While you are no alien, your faunus genetics could easily be adapted to provide XCOM operatives with yet another advantage against the invaders we face. Relax," she added when Blake stood up sharply, "I told you before that we have Doctor-Patient Confidentiality Laws, and I meant it. There is absolutely no way I would engage in this research without your express permission and the Central Officer's approval. Your secret is one-hundred percent safe with me unless you decide to reveal it. I only ask that you do, in fact, give the idea some serious thought before returning to me with an answer." She walked around her desk and sat down in the seat directly in front of Blake.

"Now, after that… enlightening conversation, would you like to start the interview that you came down here for? The physical and biological scans can wait until after we've finished." She once again pulled up the questionnaire on her tablet when Blake nodded in agreement and returned to her seat.

"Alright, let's begin."

* * *

Professor Ozpin looked up from his desk as the doors to his office were opened and five figures stepped through.

"Ah, Professor Goodwitch. I take it that you have completed your little expedition with Team JNPR?"

His friend and colleague nodded as she pulled out her scroll and tapped it twice. "I'm forwarding to you the report of all the compiled information I was able to gather. Mister Arc led us to the location of the… ah… incident he witnessed, and I spent two hours running a full gamut of tests while JNPR made sure I was not disturbed by wandering Grimm."

With a few more keystrokes, she brought up some data on her scroll and slid it towards Ozpin. "While I found definitive evidence of residual aura in the area, I was unable to confirm anything other than the fact that Team RWBY had recently been present. Whatever this portal was that Mister Arc speaks of, it is certainly not aura-based."

Ozpin hummed as he pondered the new information. "This is both comforting and concerning. On the one hand, Professor Goodwitch's extensive testing can confirm that Team RWBY was not kidnapped by a captor with a powerful teleportation semblance." He exchanged a meaningful look with Glynda as they both silently understood exactly who Ozpin was referring to. "On the other hand, this does not rule out the possibility that your friends are in very real danger."

The headmaster stood up and started pacing, lost in his own thoughts as he weighed his options and considered the best course of action. He noted the nervous looks Jaune and Pyrrha were giving each other. Ozpin wasn't surprised: he was known for being this unflappable bastion of knowledge, the man who always had a plan that he could immediately pull out of thin air and put into action. Seeing him like this was probably a new experience for the students, though hopefully one that they wouldn't have to deal with again after today.

"Very well." He said as he sat back down, breaking the silence that had gone on far too long for his liking. "Here is how we will handle this issue. Mister Arc, have you told any of your classmates about Team RWBY's disappearance?"

Jaune shook his head with such vigor, Ozpin was worried he would have to send the young hunter to the hospital wing after they were finished here. "No, sir! I went straight to Pyrrha, and we went straight to you. We've been with Professor Goodwitch and our teammates ever since."

Ozpin nodded. "Good. Under no circumstances will there be any discussion of this with your peers. Our faculty will be informed of the situation for obvious reasons, but your team should not even acknowledge the fact that RWBY is absent."

Glynda rolled her eyes when the young leader of JNPR raised his hand. "What do we say if people ask? It's not really a secret that our teams are really good friends with each other. If people notice they're gone and get curious, we'll be the first source of information they'll consider."

In his defense, Jaune's point was valid. Ozpin considered the question before replying. "Feign ignorance. If they persist, 'assume' that they're on some mission for me that they didn't tell you about. That should be enough to avoid suspicion."

Ozpin was hardly surprised when Glynda interjected, "It may be better if Miss Nikos does the talking, considering how worried you are about inquiring minds, Mister Arc." One of these days, he really needed to sit down and have a talk with his friend about her contempt of Jaune Arc. While it was true that his classroom performance was less-than-stellar, Ozpin had full confidence that he would improve in leaps and bounds.

"In addition," he continued, "I have a mission of sorts for your team. It is, as you say, no secret that your teams are very close. It would not surprise me in the slightest if, should Mister Arc find himself staring at another portal, he jumps through without a second's hesitation in an effort to come to Team RWBY's aid." He cast his eyes over the four students as he spoke. "It would not surprise me if _any_ of you would make the decision to do so. As such, it would be foolish, perhaps even negligent, on my part if I did not require you to be adequately prepared for such a possibility."

He steepled his fingers and looked over his spectacles directly at Jaune as he spoke. "Requirement one: your team is to remain together _at all times_. Under no circumstances are you to split up until I allow it. Your rooftop training with Miss Nikos will simply have to include your companions from now on. And yes, Mister Arc," he added, seeing the question on the tip of Jaune's tongue, "you will have to wait for each other outside of the restrooms whenever one of you has 'the urge.' As you may have guessed, this is to ensure that, should another portal present itself, you will all go through _together_. Hunters operate as a team. It would not do well for your team to become fractured in your efforts to help your friends."

"Requirement two," Ozpin continued, "is that your team is to carry adequate supplies wherever you go. And by 'adequate', I mean 'standard for a month-long operation.' This includes ammunition, dust, medical equipment, and wilderness-relevant sundries. We don't know where Team RWBY has gone off to, and we don't know what state you will find them in if an opportune portal crops up. And again, if people start asking you questions…" Ozpin smiled, "I think a good answer would be that it was your idea of 'conditioning' for a mission, and that I approved of it."

Jaune's reaction was one of the many little things that lent credence to Ozpin's theory of the hunter's improvement. His expression was one of uncompromising resolve, not wavering even slightly at the prospect of lugging around heavy equipment all-day-every-day until Ozpin told him to stop. Truly, it was a sign of the bond between RWBY and JNPR that the latter would undergo such stiff inconveniences for the mere _chance_ at joining the former in whatever perils they may face.

"Finally, I am preemptively giving you a mission in the event that your team does come across another portal. Your mission orders are thus: locate Team RWBY, assist them in whatever capacity you can, and bring them back safely. The Vytal Festival is in three weeks, and I am hoping we will have a happy resolution to this issue before then."

Ozpin stood up, taking his ever-present coffee mug in one hand, and nodded at the team of hunters before him. "I wish you all the best of luck."


	7. Specialists

A/N: I want to give some recognition to reddit user Metaboss84, who graciously offered to proof my chapters before they're posted. Reading through 6.4k words with the intent of catching errors and making suggestions can't be easy, and I'm very grateful for his work.

* * *

"Strike Eight, please report to the barracks."

Bradford's voice cut through the stale underground air while team RWBY jogged to the firing range. Despite Major Vance's kind words on the Skyranger and the psychological advice provided during her visit with Dr. Vahlen, Ruby still wasn't her usual energetic self after Bigg's death. In an effort to cheer up their leader and get her mind off things, the rest of RWBY agreed to an early morning trip to the firing range. The message from Bradford, however, resulted in a quick about-face and return to the barracks.

When they reached the entrance to the living quarters, they found a smiling Vance waiting for them.

"Right, follow me."

Weiss, still tired from the early hour, gave Vance a questioning look. "Is something wrong, Major?"

Vance shook his head, still smiling. "Hardly. C'mon."

The four huntresses followed the Major back into the barracks that they had left not ten minutes ago. Since it was still morning, a good number of soldiers were in the bunkhouse going through their own morning routines. None of them, Ruby noticed, were asleep. Some were chatting with their adjoining bunkmates, others were in the process of going through their morning hygiene, and a few were curiously watching as the members of Strike Eight approached. Ruby recognized a few of the soldiers, such as Annette, among the crowd of operatives in the barracks. After getting off on the bad foot during the welcome party, the "psi op" had re-introduced herself to Ruby as Captain Annette Durand. Perhaps because, just like RWBY, she had been thrown into this war by unfortunate circumstance, she felt the need to at least be on good terms with the four newcomers. The fact that she was one of the youngest soldiers at XCOM may have also factored into it.

At the far end of the room stood Central Officer Bradford, his uniform crisp and his posture at attention with his arms held firmly behind his back. To his right was a small table holding an open box, the lid blocking the contents from the newcomers.

Ruby's hands began to tremble despite her best efforts to still them. Did this have something to do with her poor performance during their first operation? Vance said that there wasn't anything wrong, but he could have been lying to put her at ease. She didn't know the Major long enough to know if that was something he'd do or not. No matter, they were already here and face-to-face with Bradford. May as well face the music.

Strike Eight walked down the rows of beds full of curious soldiers and stopped in front of Bradford. Vance stood behind the four girls, grin still firmly affixed to his face. There were a few seconds of silence where Ruby felt all eyes in the room staring at her team before Bradford began to speak.

"PFC's Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xaio Long. You have been called here in light of your recent performance on Operation Swift Flame."

 _Here it comes. Our first mission, and I already got somebody killed. He's asking himself why he even bothered to trust us in the first place. "Highly trained huntresses, my butt" he's probably thinking. And what's up with that operation name? Does he just have a list of adjectives and nouns that he mixes and matches at random?_

"You have demonstrated exemplary skill, tactics, and resolve in the field. Based on what was observed at Mission Control, and the subsequent report submitted by Major Xander Vance, you have been deemed fit for promotion to the rank of Specialist."

… _what?_

"With the promotion to Specialist comes the assignment of your class. Here at XCOM, we have eight different kits that provide tactical significance on the battlefield. Every soldier, upon evaluation of their unique skill set, is assigned one of these roles so that he or she may further develop combat abilities specifically keyed to excelling in the role filled by their class."

"I believe you have already been familiarized with the Sniper and Rocketeer classes, due to the inclusion of Major Vance and the late Corporal Biggs on your first field op. For the sake of completion, I will formally explain the roles of all eight classes XCOM utilizes in the field."

"The Assault specializes in close combat with the invaders. Utilizing a shotgun, Assaults are trained to strike hard and fast, utilizing defensive equipment to survive any retaliation they may face after the initial blitz."

"The Infantry class is your bread-and-butter bullet hose, given equipment and training that allows him to maintain a high rate of deadly fire. Whether they are joining in the opening volley, or providing critical overwatch to allow their squadmates to advance, Infantry have honed their skills with a rifle to an art form."

"The Scout uses high mobility and lightning reflexes to be the advance eyes for a squad. Trained to stay out of the line of fire, Scouts excel at reaching optimal flanking positions and raining hell on their foes."

"The Sniper uses our long-range weaponry to eliminate targets from afar. Trained to locate and target critical locations on a high-priority target, Snipers are often considered to be a squad's 'ace in the hole' when a situation turns bad and an operative needs bailing out."

"The Rocketeer is our premier explosive expert. Whether they are using conventional high explosive warheads to deal impressive damage or our specialized 'Shredder' rockets to break through a target's defenses, Rocketeers excel at crowd control area of effect attacks."

"The Gunner is XCOM's heavy weapons specialist. Where Rocketeers use heavy explosive ordnance against their foes, Gunners use Light Machine Guns and Squad Automatic Weapons to spit out a veritable hailstorm of fire against the aliens. Suppression, area denial, and creating advantages against a target are all roles filled by the Gunner."

"The Medic is a squad's anchor. Whether they are healing up injuries in the heat of combat or creating cover for their allies with a well-placed Smoke Grenade, soldiers of XCOM can rest easy knowing the Medic has their back."

"The Engineer specializes in tearing down cover. When the aliens have dug themselves into an unassailable fortress of a defensive line, the Engineer's job is to blow that fortress straight to hell with the destructive force of their grenades."

Bradford gave the girls a moment to let all that sink in. It wasn't exactly vital that they memorized the role of each class, but knowing how they operated with each other would help Strike Eight coordinate more effectively in the field. If anything, they'd learn simply through practice and experience.

"Ruby Rose, you have been selected for promotion as a Sniper. Considering your excellent accuracy during Swift Flame, as well as the nature of your… preferred weapon, I believe this will be a good fit for you."

While Ruby blushed at the compliment, Bradford reached into the box next to him and pulled out a pair of patches. The first had a pair of dots inside a circle while the second was a crosshair inside a diamond. "These represent your rank and class, Specialist Rose. Major Vance can show you where they are supposed to be applied to your uniform."

Ruby muttered an absent-minded "thank you" while staring at the patches. The items themselves weren't anything special, but the meaning behind them was what really affected Ruby: 'we believe in you.'

"Weiss Schnee, due to your affinity for close combat with the enemy witnessed during Swift Flame, you have been selected for promotion as an Assault. Your tactics during the incident in the auto shop were particularly impressive."

Again, Bradford reached into the box and handed Weiss two patches. As with Ruby, she was given the dots inside a circle to represent her rank of Specialist. Her class patch contained a stylized alien skull inside of a diamond, which Ruby thought looked pretty cool.

"Blake Belladonna, your ability to deftly weave through enemy fire while on point and provide critical information to your fellow operatives has given me good reason to select you for promotion as a Scout. I strongly believe that your ability to reliably provide your squad with advantageous intel will be a boon for Strike Eight.

Bradford didn't realize it, but Ruby suspected that his words meant a great deal to Blake. For a long time now, she'd been struggling with her darker side that believed she was an untrustworthy coward, only good at running away when her friends needed her most. Along with the Specialist patch, the class patch Bradford gave Blake looked like a hawk caught mid-swoop inside of the diamond. Even as Bradford moved on to the last member of the squad, Ruby noticed Blake continuing to stare at the Scout patch.

"Yang Xiao Long, your impressive aptitude with grenades originally led me to believe you would best be suited as an Engineer…" Bradford was unable to suppress a smile as Yang's eyes shot wide with fear at the idea of being promoted to an Engineer. "However, sources tell me that you would much prefer the explosive comfort of a rocket launcher strapped to your back, so I have selected you for promotion as a Rocketeer." He handed the final two patches to Yang, with her Rocketeer patch containing an explosion inside of the diamond.

Ruby assumed that Bradford was finished giving them recognition (recognition she still wasn't certain they deserved) after he gave Yang her class and rank patches. However, he picked up the box on the table and looked curiously at the contents still inside. "Another thing… here at XCOM, we take pride in the diversity of nations coming together to fight back against this global invasion. As such, each soldier is given a patch that denotes their place of birth, worn on the back of their armor." He gave the girls a look that was a mix of curiosity and amusement. "Clearly, none of you are from Canada, or Japan, or any other nation on Earth, and yet you still stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the rest of our operatives who have a very real stake in this war."

Bradford palmed an item from the box before putting it back down, though Ruby couldn't see what it was. "We noticed several… motifs prominently displayed on the clothing you wore when we first met. I don't know if they represent nations you come from, or what… but I think I'm right in assuming they hold a resonance with each of you similar to the nationalistic pride each of our operatives have when they wear their nation's flag on their back."

Once again, Ruby was stunned as Bradford held his hand out and revealed four more patches, each one bearing a symbol unique to the four huntresses of Team RWBY. "It turns out that Dr. Shen is full of more surprises than even I'm aware of. He made these himself when I asked about it."

After she had taken the proffered items, Bradford resumed his original position.

"Now that you have been promoted to Specialists, you can begin your training in earnest. Each class has a hallmark skill that you are required to become proficient with as soon as possible. Once you have mastered that, several choices will be available to you regarding how you wish to further specialize in your squad role. Our more experienced soldiers will be happy to assist you in both of these matters."

"Before I dismiss you," he added once he saw Ruby getting ready to turn around and make a beeline for the range, "There is one more thing I would like to address."

Ruby had a momentary resurgence of fear that she was going to get reprimanded for losing Biggs. Her fear was short-lived, however, when she saw Bradford turn to her partner.

"Specialist Schnee. While some of the events of Operation Swift Flame were regrettable, your actions and initiative did not escape our notice at Central when the situation turned dire. When all hope seemed lost for your comrades trapped in a building with a full-strength squad of Sectoids, you were determined to find a way to help them no matter the cost. Your quick thinking and decisive action very likely averted further tragedy on Strike Eight's first operation."

Weiss's eyes, already wide from the out-of-nowhere compliment, grew wider when Bradford reached once more into the box and pulled out a medal. "In light of these events, I award you with XCOM's Urban Combat Badge." He smiled as Weiss carefully took the medal from his hand. "It's not every day that a Rookie willingly charges into a dangerous situation and comes out the other end with zero casualties."

With the final decoration formally presented, Bradford snapped a salute at the young operatives, who in turn mirrored the action. "Now that we're done here, you are cleared to return to the Armory and commence training as Specialists. Good luck, Strike Eight."

* * *

Ruby was absolutely in love with the Pulse Sniper Rifle. While it didn't have the comforting kick of Crescent Rose, it's sleek design and ability to easily strike a target from long range made Ruby feel like she was slowly moving back to her old style of combat. Sure, she couldn't decapitate an alien by swinging the rifle at its head, but the familiar weight of a long rifle helped put the huntress in a better mindset. Plus, the lack of a heavy recoil could be seen as an advantage in some situations, like during a maximum-range accuracy drill with Vance at the training field. Ruby was very impressed with how easily the live fire course could be modified depending on the needs of the operative. The first thing Vance told Ruby she would be mastering was what the operatives of XCOM had come to call "Squad Sight." Essentially, so long as someone on her team could spot for her, it was expected of Ruby as a Sniper to be able to hit the target.

And so for the next few days, Ruby found herself frequently standing at the front of the live fire course, with Vance down by the other end. When the drill would start, he would call out targets and landmarks scattered all over his end of the massive hall, allowing Ruby to quickly scope in and hit the alien dummy. While she was getting the hang of it, she had to admit that the subtle power of Pulse weaponry, along with the rest of the accuracy-boosting equipment she used to mod her rifle, was definitely a boon when it came to demonstrating her abilities as a marksman.

Talking with the rest of RWBY revealed similarly intensive drills for the other Specialist classes. Weiss was not only expected to master the use of a shotgun (a weapon she had never touched before), but to be able to accurately hit a target with it while running at full sprint. Her instructor, a Master Sergeant from Strike Two, explained to her that because Assaults were so frequently within spitting distance of their prey, the best way to stay alive was to ensure their would-be attackers were given a new head cavity before they got the chance to pull the trigger. So her training consisted of drills such as: firing while sliding into cover; firing while running backwards; firing after spinning 180 degrees; firing after coming up from a dodge roll; and Ruby's favorite, firing while vaulting over the target's cover. The sooner Weiss was able to line up a shot, the less time her enemy had to shoot back.

Yang was perfectly happy learning how to operate XCOM's personal brand of rocket-fueled justice. The warheads provided for training were paint-tipped duds, but they still let out a satisfying _swish_ as they streaked across the room and marked how close (or far) she was from striking the desired region. The launcher was far bulkier than Ember Celica, to be sure, but Yang felt like she could get used to handling equipment this big, a sentiment that earned her a smack upside the head when she shared it with her partner (wink included).

If the rest of RWBY was training in the art of hitting their target, Blake was training in the art of not letting her target hit her. During some of her free time, Ruby watched one of Blake's sessions on the live fire course. While all operatives found themselves in need of running from cover to cover, Scouts like Blake often had to do so while aliens had their guns ready to shoot the first target that moved. Safely running overwatch meant spotting her attackers before they fired, predicting where their shots would land, and twisting your way out of the line of fire while dashing for something to hide behind. It was here that Blake's faunus heritage served her well: the instructor and several assisting base personnel would wait for her to make a move, and Blake would gracefully weave, twist, and slide her way around the field while a flurry of light chewed up the concrete around her. Ruby was truly impressed by how easy she made it look.

The only complaint Ruby could think of for their current situation was the whole Aura problem. However it seemed like that the subject caught the interest of Dr. Vahlen, who asked to meet with them all at their earliest convenience.

* * *

Ruby swore that every time she entered Dr. Vahlen's lab, the woman always had her face buried in her work. Did she never take breaks? Ruby would have to ask Weiss about trying to get the doctor to loosen up a bit as a part of her 'public image repair program.'

The arrival of RWBY didn't go unnoticed by Vahlen, however, who quickly wrapped up whatever she was doing and turned her attention to XCOM's newest Specialists.

"Ah! Good, you're here. I would like to speak to you about several topics, primarily related to information I gathered from the questioning and tests we conducted over the last few days. Please, have a seat."

Dr. Vahlen waited until they were all settled before proceeding. "The results of the biometric tests I conducted have been… interesting. Without a doubt, the humans of Remnant have the same genetic structure as the humans of Earth, with a variance of less than 0.1%. Physiologically, however, you are much stronger than us. While it's not to the extreme degree of muscle fiber density that we've seen in the legs of the Thin Men, it is still quite remarkable. Superior upper body strength, natural resistance to impact blows, and heightened respiratory capabilities are all qualities you posses relative to the rest of our operatives, even when the age difference is factored in."

Yang grinned and flexed her bicep. "Well, Doctor, if you ever want a closer examination of these _guns_ -" was all she managed to get out before she earned a smack from Blake, forcing Vahlen suppressed a chuckle. In truth, she would like to have another examination of the young woman's musculature if given the chance.

"While this result is fascinating for many reasons, the one I'm most curious about is the phenomenon you all refer to as Aura." And with a single sentence, the range of bored-to-annoyed looks immediately transformed into ones of excitement. "From what you have all told me, every hunter on Remnant is a skilled practitioner in the usage of this… ah… 'power of the soul', is how I believe you best described it. Additionally, from what you have told me, none of you have succeeded in projecting this soul power while here on Earth."

Vahlen gave the four huntresses an amused smile. "While modern science here on Earth has been unable to quantify the concept of the soul with any level of satisfaction, it seems that the technology exists on your Remnant, and is developed enough to fit in your hand in the form of these…" she picked up a small device that the four huntresses recognized immediately.

"Scrolls." Weiss supplied.

"Yes, scrolls. From what Weiss has shown me, your scrolls are capable of providing you with an instantaneous analysis of your aura's current strength, allowing you to determine when an expeditious retreat is desirable. What's interesting is that these scrolls still show your auras to be at full strength. I believe this is why your sudden lack of abilities came as a shock to you, yes?"

The huntresses nodded.

"This leads me to believe that your aura is, in fact, suppressed rather than missing. The process will take some time, but it is my hope and belief that my team will not only be able to find a way to determine why your abilities have been locked, but find a way to restore them."

Yang pounded her fist into the palm of her other hand, an excited grin playing over her face. "Sign me up for whatever tests you need to run, Doc. As much as I enjoy playing with Shen's rocket launcher, the sooner I can bust some heads the old fashioned way, the better." The other three similarly exclaimed their willingness to do whatever it takes to help with Vahlen's Aura research. The doctor had to put her hands up as a means to silence their emphatic promises to help.

"While I appreciate your desire to help, there is a process to scientific progress. Before I can do anything that would require your assistance, the first step is the more mundane task of data analysis. With all the information I have collected from the initial testing, it will take some time to sift through it and detect relevant patterns. Piecing together what has been gathered so far is an absolute necessity before I can even begin to think about follow-up tests that can further our progress in this avenue of research. My goal in asking you all to meet with me was simply to inform you that your… unique skills are something Central Officer Bradford and I have deemed worthy of significant research. I will keep you all appraised of any new information that comes from my team's efforts."

"Not to trivialize your generous decision to research the issues we are having with Aura, Dr. Vahlen, but have you also made any progress on understanding what happened with the Hyperwave Relay?"

The doctor nodded, not at all surprised that Blake was the one perceptive enough to ask about the research that was of utmost importance to her team. After all, if Vahlen was unable to find a way to send them back, then RWBY had bigger things to worry about than their malfunctioning Aura.

"As with our initial research into Aura, we have already begun to parse the data collected during the Hyperwave Event. Because of all the instrumentation my team had set up to monitor every aspect of the machine, the amount of data that requires analysis is far greater than what I have collected regarding your soul energy. It will not be a swift process, but we will steadily uncover the phenomenon that led to the creation of the transdimensional portal that brought you to our doorstep."

That answer seemed to satisfy Blake, who seemed to be mulling over the idea that they'd be stuck here for as long as it took Vahlen to "process" and use the data from the relay. "Fair enough. Is that all?"

"Unless you have any other questions for me, I've covered everything I planned to discuss with you."

The huntresses, having no more questions, filed out of Vahlen's lab. Except for Weiss, Ruby noted, who had stayed back to talk with Vahlen. At this point, Ruby wondered if the two were actually becoming friends, rather than Weiss simply doing a favor for Vahlen that she'd collect when it was convenient.

* * *

"Alright Ruby… you ready?"

"I'm always ready, Major."

The sound of a harsh buzzer filled Ruby's ears, marking the start of the drill.

"Sixty yards, left of three stacked barrels."

The soothing _snap-hiss_ of Ruby's rifle quickly replaced the sound of the buzzer as she struck her first target.

"Adjust ten yards right, inside the dumpster."

She fired again, and another target disintegrated under the pulse rifle's destructive force.

"Eighty-five yards, about five yards left, behind the crate."

Ruby took a fraction of a second longer on the next shot to ensure the (large) jump in distance didn't throw off her aim. A gentle pull of the trigger discharged an orange bolt that struck the target firmly within the "acceptable" zone.

The drill continued for another minute as Vance kept calling out targets and Ruby to zero in and smoke them until the painfully loud buzzer rang again to mark the conclusion of the exercise. By the time the Major made his way back to his protégé, Ruby was already halfway through the maintenance check on her rifle. When she looked up, she could see that Vance was all smiles.

"Well done, kiddo. I think that's a new personal record for your Squadsight speed trial." He pretended to brush some dirt off his shoulder. "Not as fast as mine, of course, but not everyone can be perfect marksmen like me." He laughed when his mock bragging earned him a punch square in the rib.

"Seriously, though. It didn't take you long at all to get the hang of this. You show off this level of talent in the field, and you'll be finding yourself promoted to Lance Corporal pretty quick."

Ruby was about to respond with a word of thanks, but was cut off by Bradford on the intercom.

"Would all members of Strike One please report to the Skyranger. Operation Enduring Shield to re-take Japan from the aliens will commence in one hour. I repeat, _all_ members of Strike One are need for this operation. Gear up and report to the Skyranger."

Major Vance's eyes widened at the announcement. "Holy shit… he's calling for the whole gang to get together…" He rubbed the back of his head nervously and gave Ruby a sideways glance. "Ah… listen Ruby, I haven't told you yet, but… I'm technically being summoned by Bradford's call for Strike One."

Ruby raised an eyebrow at the Major. "Buuuuuuut you're part of Strike Eight. Is it normal for soldiers to be part of different strike teams? It sounds like that would cause complications."

Vance shook his head. "Nope, but Strike One is unique. It represents XCOM's "A-Team", the best of the best. All its members are spread among the rest of the strike teams to supplement them with superior combat experience and skill. Only in very rare cases does Central call for Strike One to assemble for an operation, and for two reasons: not only is it usually overkill and a waste of energy for XCOM's best operatives, but it would be a _massive_ blow to XCOM if something were to go wrong and a lot of soldiers went down. Like I said, Strike One is the best of the best. Spreading its members among the rest of the teams minimizes losses if a mission goes seriously fubar. C'mon, I can tell you more about it while I grab my gear."

So Ruby listened while Vance explained. If there was a mission that absolutely, positively _had_ to succeed, Bradford would bring in Strike One. The costs were high, though: its members were usually the top operatives of all the other strike teams, so having them out of commission for a few days on account of required R &R meant that every single strike team at XCOM would have its strength reduced until the members of Strike One had recovered. This meant that usually Bradford would assemble half of Strike One for an important op, leaving the other half rested so that their squads can cover any operations that crop up shortly after the important one. To have the entirety of XCOM's A-Team together for a single mission was something that, quite frankly, didn't happen anymore.

After Vance was finished grabbing his equipment from the armory and checking its integrity, he gave Ruby a sly grin. "Hey, how about you come with me while I tag up with the rest of Strike One at the Skyranger? There's some pretty cool cats who'll be there, especially our Field Commander, and you'll get to see all the greatest toys XCOM operatives get to play with."

Ruby didn't know what Vance meant by the Field Commander, but her eyes lit up at the mention of tech. She'd seen a lot of equipment laying around Shen's foundry, but it'd probably look a lot more impressive when properly wielded in the hands of a combat veteran. "That sounds great!" Her smile faltered when a thought occurred to her. "I won't be going on the mission, though… right? It sounds like it'll be really dangerous, and I'm only starting to get the hang of fighting without my Aura."

The Major shook his head. "Absolutely not. Even if the Central Officer himself asked you to, which he wouldn't, there's no way I'd be okay with you coming along. Once you have more experience, then _maybe_. For now, though, you're just there to wish us good luck when we dust off."

The pair soon arrived at the hangar/launchpad for XCOM's transport vehicle. From the lack of impressively-armed operatives, it seemed like Ruby and Vance were the first ones there. They watched tech crews scurrying around the Skyranger, performing last-minute maintenance checks and topping off the aircraft's fuel pods. The flow of work carried on until the sound of cheerful laughter emanated from the main entrance to the hangar and the base personnel cleared out while the newcomers strolled in.

Ruby looked over to see eight soldiers casually walk through the doorway and towards the waiting ship. Her mouth started to water as she looked closely at the equipment they were packing. For starters, their armor was _way_ more impressive than the Carapace Armor Bradford had given to the members of Strike Eight. One of the soldiers, who carried a wicked-looking Light Machine Gun, was wearing armor so heavy that Ruby wasn't sure how he was able remain standing.

"That's Colonel Shaojie 'Chilong' Zhang over there in Titan armor," Vance whispered, "I've seen him eat a full volley of plasma from a Mechtoid in that armor and walk it off no problem. Dude's a badass, no doubt about it."

A little further back in the group, Ruby recognized Captain Durand. Almost as if Annette sensed Ruby's attention (which would not surprise Ruby at all), Annette looked over and gave Ruby a smile and a wave, her laser shotgun resting casually resting on one shoulder. Annette's armor wasn't nearly as heavy as Zhang's, but it was just as complex. Channels of purple energy flowed through multiple grooves in the armor and, though Ruby didn't have her Aura-based sixth sense, emanated with subtle power.

There was other, equally impressive gear on display in the group. Two soldiers wore armor with jetpacks, and several more had grappling hooks attached to the forearms of their suits. Ruby remembered Vance talking about the grappling hooks back on their first tour of the base, but she didn't realize he was serious.

In addition to the mechanical technology and psychic abilities of Strike One, Ruby noticed several biological enhancements that were clearly the handiwork of Dr. Vahlen. One of the operatives was a little… jumpy. Ruby had seen students at combat school jump around a bit when they were nervous before a tournament or something, but she never recalled seeing any of them jump five times their height from a dead stop. Another seemed to crackle with electric energy, while a third had skin that looked faintly metallic. All in all, an impressive group of fighters stood confidently before the huntress.

Then the MEC troopers came in.

Ruby felt the ground quake even before they entered the hangar: two robotic cybersuits came stomping through the entrance, easily standing head and shoulders above the other operatives. Just as the regular operatives wore different armors, so too did the MECs. While one looked even more heavily armored than Zhang in his Titan suit, the other was plated in armor clearly geared more towards mobility and hit-and-run tactics than heavy tanking.

The armaments carried by the MECs were equally impressive. Both carried gatling lasers and carried a wide array of additional armaments on their suits. The heavier MEC carried a large grenade launcher on its back and a flamethrower on its left wrist, while the skirmisher had a rocket fist (or "Kinetic Strike Module" according to Vance), EMP backpack, and what looked like a much larger equivalent of XCOM's standard medkit.

Ruby and Vance watched the soldiers mill around and chat for another minute before the Major turned to the doorway and shouted " _Commander on deck!_ "

Ruby noticed all of the operatives immediately stopped their conversations and turned to salute at whoever had come through the door. Ruby followed their gaze and saw the authoritative figure of a tall man stride across the hangar with an air of utmost confidence towards the Skyranger. However, once he noticed Ruby and Vance standing off by the edge of the landing pad, he let out an "at ease" and changed direction to approach the duo. He carried a laser rifle in both hands and smiled lightly when Vance offered him a second salute.

"At ease, Major. I take it the little lady here is why you're not with the rest of the squad…?"

"Sir, this is Specialist Ruby Rose, squad leader of Strike Eight." He lowered his salute and held his hands behind his back in an "at-ease-yet-still-respectful" posture. "I thought it would be a good idea to give her the opportunity to see the best of what XCOM has to offer."

The man nodded, then held a hand out to Ruby. "A Specialist ordering around Major Vance, hmm? Sounds like Bradford has big plans for you. I am Field Commander Peter Van Doorn, a pleasure to meet you, Ruby."

Ruby slowly took van Doorn's hand and shook it. "Likewise, Mr. Van Doorn- uh… Commander… Sir," she finished lamely. "That's… quite an impressive team you have assembled there."

Van Doorn laughed. "Forged in the fires of life-or-death combat, courtesy of our alien guests. I would risk my life for any one of them, and I know they would do the same for me." His tone suddenly became more serious. "I heard about Swift Flame. I assume that was your first operation as a squad leader, Miss Rose?"

Ruby looked down at the corrugated metal beneath her feet, unable to look the Commander in the eye. "It was my first operation period, sir. I don't know why Bradford promoted me after I screwed up so badly."

A firm hand on her shoulder caused Ruby to look up in surprise to see Van Doorn giving her a sad smile. "If there's anything I learned after joining XCOM, it's that Central Officer Bradford does not make mistakes when judging character. If he says you performed admirably, then that's exactly how he feels. The loss of Corporal James Biggs was tragic, but it wasn't pointless and most certainly _not_ your fault. In fact, Operation Swift Flame has given XCOM a crucial advantage: the alien bastards made the mistake of showing their hand early and letting us know that their Thin Men now posses sniper training, and likely have other nasty surprises for us as well. If, for example, they had waited until Enduring Shield, I am certain that Strike One would be coming back from today's mission with a lot less than the twelve soldiers leaving."

Ruby shifted uncomfortably. Van Doorn had a point, but it still didn't make her feel any better. Still, he continued. "Believe me when I say that I understand how hard it is on your conscience to lose a good soldier under your command. I know that no amount of encouragement from others can truly help you overcome that personal demon. It's up to you to look within yourself and come to terms with Biggs's death in your own way. Only then will you be at peace."

He took his hand off her shoulder and gave her a salute. "In the meantime, I still expect you to do everything you can to become a soldier capable of leading with confidence. Major Vance is with you in Strike Eight, and the best damn sniper I've ever worked with, which means you must train hard to learn how to tactically use him and the rest of your operatives in the most efficient manner possible. Know that if Vance believes in you, then so do I. Show those alien bastards that it would be a mistake to underestimate the capabilities of Strike Eight, and make sure they pay for every life they take and every civilian they abduct."

He picked up his rifle and turned to head back over to the Skyranger, but not before leaving Ruby with one final quip and a wink. "After all… it's not fair if I have all the fun."


	8. Opportunist

A/N: So, I never intended to expand on Strike One's Operation Enduring Shield, but a lot of you interpreted the end of last chapter as "welp, they're all gonna be dead." At the suggestion of Metaboss84, I came up with this mini-chapter to resolve that issue and catch up with JNPR for a bit. This won't be a regular thing, but I may do it again in the future if the situation calls for it. The next "proper" chapter will be going up tomorrow when I get home. Until then, enjoy!

* * *

"Sir! Atlas is down!"

Van Doorn swore. The Field Commander decided about five minutes ago that Bradford made the right choice in sending his top operatives on this assault. Even with all of their experience, with all of their tactics, and with all of their technology, the damned aliens were determined to keep their hands, claws, and tentacles firmly wrapped around Japan. One-Seven, or 'Atlas', was the squad's Engineer. If Strike One wanted to make it through this in one piece, his Smoke Grenades would be vital to achieving that goal.

"Five, get Seven patched up. Two and Three, you're on overwatch while Five does his thing. Twelve, I want those Heavies flanked ASAP."

The Commander watched his Medic frantically dash towards Atlas while Colonel Zhang and Major Vance readied their Pulse Autoblaster and Sniper Rifle to gun down any alien contacts who dared take a shot at Five. The squad's Pathfinder MEC, 'Gizmo', dashed off in a different direction to find an alternate way around the Heavy Floaters' hail of plasma fire blocking Strike One's progress. Early on, Van Doorn learned to respect Twelve's ability to think outside the box and outmaneuver her foes. Then again, that was probably why Bradford had slated her for Pathfinder training after she got "promoted" to a MEC.

Van Doorn suppressed a shudder. While he was proud of the volunteers Dr. Shen received when he first started the MEC program, and he was sure that soldiers who found themselves on death's door would rather have their life saved with a quick surgery and robotic limbs, the Commander wasn't sure if he would have the courage to get his limbs replaced with mechanical servos so that he may continue the good fight for XCOM. The idea of becoming an immobile soldier whose sole purpose in combat was to interface with the immensely powerful hardware of a MEC platform… how could those troopers re-integrate with society at the war's end? The moment their limbs came off, they no longer operated weapons of war, but instead became them. He would forever be grateful for the courage of brave men and women like Gizmo who made that choice so he wouldn't have to.

He was snapped out of his brief reverie when he heard the sound of Zhang's Autoblaster spinning up and spitting out a volley of laser fire at a Muton who stepped out of cover to take a shot at Five. The Medic continued to calmly apply the contents of his medkit to Atlas's wounds while Zhang's laser fire chattered overhead. After the first Muton went down, a second stepped out to finish the job his brother set out to accomplish. Before it could even line up a shot, a single pulse laser cleanly punched through the alien's skull and brain matter flew out the other end.

Five finished his work and pulled Atlas to his feet.

"You good?"

The Engineer rolled his shoulders a few times before picking up his Scatter Blaster. "Yeah, just gotta rub some dirt on it and I'll be fine."

A loud burst of laser fire interrupted their brief conversation, and the rest of Strike One looked up at the sound of Heavy Floaters dying in quick succession. Gizmo's modulated voice came over Van Doorn's comm. "Enemies have been neutralized, sir."

"Good," Van Doorn responded. "Let's move, people. Six, you're on point with Gizmo."

The Scout rushed ahead while the rest of the team followed behind, reloading and checking their weapons during the brief respite afforded them by the Pathfinder.

Van Doorn's comm buzzed to life once more. "Commander, this is Six. Battlescanner in the next room reveals a pod of Mutons with two Elites commanding them."

"Understood. We'll need you to go in quiet and undetected to provide spotting support for a Javelin Rocket from Eight. That should soften them up a bit before we send the cavalry in to finish them off."

"Roger that, sir."

The plan should have been flawless. Six ghosted her way into the room without issue, Eight's rocket hit dead center a few seconds later, and then the rest of Strike One charged into the room and started taking up positions behind the closest cover available. It would have been perfect, but the moment the last member of Strike One cleared the holo door, a steel plate slammed shut in its place and five Cyberdiscs led by Dreadnought-class disc floated down from above.

* * *

While the heavy significance of the memorial was not lost on Ruby, relief still washed over her every time she glanced at the still very-much-alive Major Vance standing with his squad at the front of the assembly. Where XCOM's A Team dusted off for Japan with smiles, jokes, and laughter, a sinking feeling invaded Ruby's heart when they returned beaten, bloody, and silent. She watched the first four operatives step off the Skyranger with a pair of body bags between them, and for one horrible moment, the thought occurred to her that Vance might be in one of them. When she saw him finally step out of the transport's cargo bay, Ruby had to suppress the urge to run up and crush him in a hug. Instead, she watched him slowly limp down the ramp with help from Colonel Zhang, whose once-pristine Titan Armor was now scored and cracked from multiple plasma burns.

Several hours later, all XCOM personnel (save for the small skeleton crew required to keep the base running) were summoned for a memorial service to honor the two soldiers whose names were the most recent additions to The Wall. All the operatives, officers, and base workers assembled in neat rows while bagpipes played over Van Doorn's sombre walk to the front of the room. He opened the small box in his hands and gently pulled out the two small placards it contained. The reverence in the room was almost palpable as Van Doorn set the box down on an adjacent table and placed the two placards on the wall, one at a time. When he had finished, the Commander stepped back and snapped a salute to all the names on the wall, new and old. The sound of one hundred men and women copying the action followed suit.

A full minute passed in silence, save for the bagpipe's heavy tones, while the dead were held with respect in the hearts and minds of everyone present. When Van Doorn lowered his salute and turned to face the crowd before him, the piper stopped and everyone listened.

"Lieutenant Helena 'Casino' Magnusson and Master Sergeant Tomas 'Tombstone' Chavez. These two soldiers heroically gave their lives so that the rest of us may live. In their final moments, they did not cower in fear from the danger, but charged into it. They looked Death straight in the eye and told him 'If this is how it must be, then so be it.' They were some of the finest, and I am honored to have counted them amongst my friends."

The silence after his words was almost suffocating. While Ruby didn't know these people, it was clear that everyone else did, and they were having a very difficult time maintaining a professional demeanor. The emotionally-charged atmosphere made one thing obvious to the leader of Strike Eight: Casino and Tombstone were _very_ popular at XCOM.

"Beyond speaking for them at this memorial," Van Doorn continued, "There is another way I wish to honor those who have left us today. Out of all the people I have shared a pint or five with, they were the only ones capable of drinking me under the table." A small laugh rippled through the crowd. "As such, I invite all of you to join me at the bar after this, where we will toast to the memory of two noble souls and speak fondly of the time we had with them. The first round is on me."

He stepped down from the front of the room and made his way out the door in the back. Quietly, everyone else followed suit.

* * *

The uproarious laughter and clinking of glasses starkly contrasted to the silence and respect Ruby witnessed at the Memorial Wall. Major Vance explained to Ruby the concept of an 'Irish Wake' where friends and family would hold a party and share stories about the departed. It was a way to honor their memory with positive energy, as opposed to the heavy and depressing tone set by a traditional funeral. Music filled the room through the lounge's quality stereo systems, and several of XCOM's more agile operatives were having fun impressing their friends with fancy footwork.

Ruby looked around the room and saw the other nine members of Strike One gathered a few tables, sharing drinks and smiling while they talked. She also noticed they weren't isolating themselves from everyone else, however. Other personnel would frequently have a seat, share a few laughs and a story or two, then have a toast with Strike One to the memory of Casino and Tombstone. Over the course of half an hour, Ruby watched at least two thirds of the memorial attendees stop by Strike One's corner to spend a few minutes with the closest friends of the fallen.

Out of respect for the dead, Ruby didn't ask Vance what happened on the op. With all the dancing, drinking, and music going creating such a positive atmosphere, it would be wrong to force her friend to relive that dark memory so soon. Instead, she allowed the Major to teach RWBY (well, RWB. Yang actually offered to help Vance) the basic differences between various alcoholic beverages, and watched curiously as he lined up seven small shot glasses in front of her.

"Aren't they a little young for that, Major?" Asked an amused voice behind Ruby. The five operatives looked up with a start to see Van Doorn smiling right back at them.

"Well, uh…" Vance fumbled, "you see, sir. I just felt, that… umm… some education was…"

Van Doorn laughed and waved him off. "At ease, Major. At a time like this, I think we _all_ could use a stiff drink." He looked at the four huntresses, still smiling. "Just make sure you don't get carried away with the Major's instructions, hmm? In any case, I was hoping to borrow Miss Rose for a few minutes. Do you mind, Vance…?"

The Major shook his head. "Not at all, sir. I'm still setting up, anyway. We can wait until you're done."

Van Doorn nodded appreciatively before putting a hand on Ruby's shoulder and steering her out of the lounge to the relative quiet of the hallway.

"What can I do for you, sir?" Ruby asked, wondering what the Field Commander of XCOM could possibly want with her, especially at a wake for two friends that Ruby didn't know.

"I have something for you." Van Doorn reached into the back pocket of his dress uniform and pulled out a small file storage device. "As I'm sure you're aware, it's standard procedure for operatives to carry video recording hardware into combat. It allows Bradford and squad leaders to tactically review what happened and adjust field strategies accordingly." He looked at the data stick in his hand and Ruby saw a wistful smile play across his lips. "This is my video feed from Enduring Shield. I would like you to watch it when you have the chance."

Ruby took the device when Van Doorn handed it to her. "Thank you, I think? I'm… not really sure what brought this on, sir."

Van Doorn smiled. "When you sit down and watch it, you will see that I made no costly mistakes. A small slip up here or there that required the likes of Major Vance to quickly rectify, but none of my orders were _deadly_ errors. What happened on the base assault was something none of us could have possibly predicted, and the only choice we had was to adapt. It is the same choice you must make, Miss Rose, when your ops don't go according to plan."

He gestured to the numerous medals decorating his dress uniform. "Apparently, the people around here think I'm the best leader there is. While it may be true, the fact is I still lost two soldiers on an op where we fielded the best of the best. People die in war, Miss Rose. The best you can do is mitigate those losses and make the most of the ones you can't avoid."

They stood in silence while Ruby mulled over his words and the sound of music from the lounge played in the background. When the song changed, Van Doorn sighed. "Ah, Christ, they're playing The Green Fields of France. I gotta get back in there sort this shit out." He winked. "Have fun with Vance's lesson, alright?"

He spun around and re-entered the lounge as the extremely drunk operatives reached the chorus, ' _Did they beat the drums slowly, did they play the fife lowly, did they sound the death march as they lowered you down…_ '

"C'mon guys, I'm gone for _two minutes_ and you're playing this? I realize that the Dropkick Murphys are Irish and all, but this is not appropriate music for a wake!"

* * *

"Jauney Boy."

 _Leave me alone, Cardin._

"I said hey, Jauney Boy."

 _Cardin, today's a really bad day for this._

"Jauneeeeyyyyy. I know you can hear me through that thick noggin of yours."

Jaune sighed, coming to terms with the fact that Cardin wasn't going to leave him alone. "Spit it out, Cardin."

The bully laughed. "Now was that so hard, Jauney Boy? It doesn't hurt to show a little courtesy to your betters."

Jaune had to restrain himself from snapping in half the pencil he was holding. He lost enough of them as it was, and didn't need to needlessly add to the growing number that was MIA/KIA. Before he could say anything, he heard Pyrrha assert herself from his right. "What do you want, Cardin?"

His tormentor shrugged. "Not that it matters, but I believe I was talking to your fearless leader and not you." He looked back at the slumping figure in front of him and clicked his tongue. "Honestly, Jauney Boy, do you always let your girlfriend talk out of turn like that?"

"Not my girlfriend, Cardin," Jaune replied, a hint of exhaustion evident in his voice, "And Pyrrha can do whatever she wants. I don't have to keep my teammates under my boot heel for them to respect me as their leader."

Cardin's eyes narrowed, only for a moment, before he started to laugh again. "Oh, Jauney, you are _such_ a joker." He took the vacant seat to Jaune's left and drummed his gauntleted fingers on the table. "So, what's with all the baggage, Jauney Boy? Couldn't help but notice you've been lugging it around for a while now. Ozpin hire you guys as the new janitors or something?" His eyes widened, and his voice became conspiratorially low. "Wait, don't tell me, he found out about-"

"Cardin?" He looked up to see Pyrrha smiling sweetly at him. "Finish that sentence, and I'll take it as express permission to beat you within an inch of your life the next time Professor Goodwitch pairs us up for sparring."

Jaune would be lying if he said it wasn't satisfying to feel Cardin stiffen next to him. Once he regained his composure, Cardin gave the table a final tap before standing up, evidently preparing to leave. "Good talk, Jauney Boy. I'll find out what you're hiding sooner or later." He smiled. "I always do, you know."

After CRDL's leader sauntered off, Nora leaned over the table and whispered to Jaune. "I am curious, Jaune… how long do you think we're gonna be carrying this stuff around? It's hard to get comfortable enough to sleep in Port's class with these supply cases in the way."

Jaune rubbed his eyes, as if that would will away the fatigue that had been plaguing them. "As long as it takes, Nora."


	9. Nicknames

Two weeks passed since RWBY's promotion to Specialists, and only three days since their promotion to Lance Corporals. Even if their Aura failed to empower them with their usual superhuman abilities, _something_ was enhancing their performance just enough so that they stood out as some of the best recruits XCOM had seen in recent memory. Ruby decided to credit all the martial training the four of them went through during combat school at Signal, Beacon, and wherever Weiss attended back in Atlas. As for Blake… Ruby assumed she had her own brand of combat training where she learned to fight during her time with the White Fang.

The day after their latest op found Strike Eight relaxing in the rec center's lounge with a few other operatives and base techs that were friends of either Vance, Yang, or both. Those old enough (and Yang) were enjoying alcoholic drinks from the commissary, courtesy of the Major. For those who weren't keen on the hard stuff, the commissary had a range of other options as well. Ruby happily munched on a plate of cookies accompanied by a container of milk, Weiss sampled a bowl of blueberry ice cream, and Blake nursed a cup of tea. She developed a taste for Shen's jasmine flavor ever since her meeting with Vahlen.

One of the base personnel, some Irishman named Conor MacAuley, took a swig from his bottle, hiccuped, and then broke the temporary silence that had fallen over the group.

"Y'know, it's about time that you lot got your nicknames, don't you think?"

Ruby looked up from her plate of cookies, curiosity twinkling in her eyes. "Nicknames?"

Conor nodded. "Ayup. All the operatives get one, provided they live long enough to earn it." A cheerful clap of his hands startled the four huntresses as he looked from one to the next. "At this point, I'd say you've all lived long enough to earn it."

Ruby's attention shifted from Conor to Vance, who was sipping his beer with a bemused smile. "Does Major Vance have a nickname?"

"Claymore." Vance responded. "And so long as you nerds don't start suggesting pop references that would go over their heads, I'm fine with you coming up with their nicknames if they're cool with it."

Conor rubbed his hands with excitement, and the other operatives at the table (and the lounge in general) began to put their heads together. "Right, let's start with Miss Ruby over there. What would be a good nickname for our little marksman?"

* * *

"Alright, Three, talk to me."

"I'm in position with Four and Six. Two and Seven are on the other side. We're ready to breach."

"Numbers?"

"I can hear six or seven contacts moving around in there."

"Can you confirm that, Seven?"

"I can confirm, Actual."

"Alright Eights, here's the play: Three, Four, and Six will breach first. Three, do your thing and take the fire away from Four and Six while Six flashes the contacts. Two and Seven, wait until the flash is confirmed before following up with your own breach. Four, be ready with your rocket if the situation gets bad. I'm outside with Five, ready to tag any runners. Any questions? … No? Good. First breach begins on my mark."

Ruby readjusted her rifle and let out a slow breath. "Mark."

She braced herself for the muffled _bang_ that usually came with a door breach before reminding herself that alien tech was… different. Vance had to explain to the newbies in Strike Eight that alien ships had "holo doors" that you could either tap to open or simply run through. Running gave you the element of surprise, but meant you were running blind into a dangerous situation. In any case, Ruby was only made aware of her team's actions when she heard Six's professional voice on the comms.

"Flashbang deployed."

"Two and Seven, you're up."

"Roger, moving at the speed of death."

Ruby smiled. Apparently one of Weiss's new Assault buddies told her that cheesy one-liners brought good luck when charging into danger, which was something that Assaults do _a lot_. Whether Weiss was just humoring her new colleagues or she actually believed it wasn't really important.

"Actual, four Outsiders just powered up inside the command room. It seems like they managed to dodge Three and Seven's spidey senses."

Ruby cursed. Outsiders weren't impossible to handle, but they were certainly dangerous. Impressive accuracy, tough armor, and regenerative capabilities meant that they had to be focused down quickly or there would be casualties. Also, considering that they were literally crystals until powering up for combat, Ruby wasn't surprised Blake had missed them.

"Six, get some Psi Panic going in there. Four, do your thing."

"On it!" Came Yang's cheerful reply.

The back end of the downed craft disintegrated in a spray of twisted metal and fire, leaving Ruby with a rapidly clearing view of the action as the smoke and ashes disappeared.

"Well, that's what I get for not waiting until after I sneeze before firing off a rocket. At least you've got a clear firing lane now."

Ruby heard Vance sigh beside her. "We're going to have a talk on the ride back about common sense, Four. Right now, we need to keep those Outsiders locked down."

Ruby watched the firefight unfolding down below, taking a moment to nail a Muton trying to take cover from the pair of Assaults sweeping through the room. The pair dashed through the large room, a flurry of lasers blasts cutting down any Muton unfortunate enough to get caught up in their storm. The pair certainly pressed the advantage of their initial surprise strike against the aliens. Despite their success, the Outsiders still posed a very real danger to the safety of the team.

"Five's right. Two and Seven, keep the pressure on the Mutons. Six, I want acid on those Outsiders. Three, get some holo targeting up so that the rest of us have a clearer view."

"Copy that, Actual."

Off the comm, she muttered to Vance, "I probably don't need to tell you, but disabling the Outsider weapons would probably be useful."

Her partner chuckled. "You're right, you don't." With a _snap-fizz_ , he shot the Plasma Rifle out of the hands of one of the aliens below.

The two Assaults faced no challenge in fulfilling Ruby's orders. Weiss's training after Run 'n Gun entailed mastery over the intricacies of a Close Combat Specialist, whose potency Seven easily demonstrated to the rest of a squad. The sight of a charging Assault closing to point-blank range tended to scare aliens into retreating for better cover. This provided the Assaults with easy shots to the alien's back as they moved to their next victim.

"Chem Grenade out," warned Six. Ruby turned her attention back to the Outsiders. The one Six panicked was still hunkered down in the corner while the second scrambled to grab its rifle off the floor. The other two, however, took cover behind a reasonably defensive wall. Eight-Six seized this golden opportunity to spray both of them with the caustic acid that exploded out from his second grenade.

"Shred 'em, Four."

While Ruby waited for Yang to prep her rocket and ruin the armored hide of the Outsiders, she took several shots at the Mutons retreating from the whirlwind storm of Weiss and her Assault buddy. Ruby had to admit, Bradford did a good job slating Weiss for Assault work. Her fencing skills played surprisingly well into the mobile, in-your-face style required for her current class. Ruby focused as she spotted a Muton peek out of cover and line up a shot at her friend.

 _Not fast enough, you dumb alien._ Her Pulse Sniper Rifle discharged and seared the alien through its throat. It gurgled as alien blood sprayed from the gaping wound before falling over to the floor, lifeless.

The roar of Yang's launcher firing again (and the rocket hitting its intended target this time) pulled Ruby's attention back to the Outsiders.

"Targets shredded. Let's party."

"Three, pick one and throw down some holo. Everyone else, concentrate fire on Three's target."

Blake stood up from behind her console and took careful aim at one of the aliens with her Marksman Rifle. Her shot struck the Outsider square on the skull, but the hardy alien soaked the wound without flinching. Regardless of whether the hit was damaging or not, Blake's holo targeting mod lit up the Outsider like a Christmas tree.

Ruby didn't need to prompt the rest of her squad to hit the marked target. Blake and Yang peppered the Outsider with laser salvos from their rifles while Ruby and Vance snapped off shots from high above. Even with its multitude of biological advantages, the Outsider didn't stand a chance. Blake tagged the second outsider, and that one went down even faster with the assistance of the supporting Assault team.

Nobody seemed to notice the panicked Outsider had finally recovered enough to pull out a grenade. Nobody, that is, except for Ruby.

Time slowed down as she watched the grenade begin its arc through the air towards the pair of Assaults. Despite the overall success of their sweeping advance, the two had definitely suffered their fair share of hits from enemy plasma. Ruby knew a grenade going off at their feet would be bad. _Very_ bad.

Without so much as a thought, Ruby snapped her rifle into position, took aim for a fraction of a second, and fired. Everyone looked up in surprise as the grenade exploded in a shower of plasma mid-air.

"Christ, Actual, how the _fuck_ did you do that?"

* * *

One of Conor's friends grunted. "I saw the vids after the op. That was some Max Payne-level shit right there."

Ruby blinked. "Max… Payne?"

Vance punched the operative. "No pop references."

Conor snapped his fingers. "I've got it!" He looked around the table, all smiles. "No-Scope!"

A sigh escaped Vance's lips as a palm stretched over his face. "Tell me you're not thinking what I'm entirely certain you're thinking."

The XCOM tech glared at Vance. "Major, if there was ever a real-life feat of sharpshooting that came close to the infamous 360 no-scope, _that was fucking it_."

Vance stared at Conor for a long time. However, he also was able to hear the other techs and operatives muttering in agreement with Conor's reasoning. "One. You get _one_ pop reference, and that's it. So if you're planning on sticking Lance Corporal Rose with No-Scope, you're done."

Conor held his hands up, as if he was surrendering. "Understood, Major. Loud and clear. Now… who's next?"

The tech rubbed his chin pensively as he peered at the three remaining girls before he finally settled his gaze on Yang. "Alright hotshot, what can we do for you?"

* * *

Yang was in trouble, and she knew it. She'd gotten cocky, and it looked like it was time to face the music.

Quite a few factors stacked together to leave Yang in her current predicament, some older than others.

Factor number one: She swapped out her Carapace Armor for Phalanx Armor shortly after she realized that some of XCOM's defensive gear was sleeveless. Prioritizing the chance to show off her "gloriously toned" muscles, she had deemed the loss of extra protection was an acceptable sacrifice.

Factor number two: She swapped out her Pulse Rifle for a submachine gun (or "Pulse Stengun", as Shen's nerds called it). It was lighter, and Yang figured she'd be spending most of her time shooting aliens in the face with her rockets, so having a good rifle wasn't that important. Except, of course, for situations where she's facing off against a whole pod of aliens with only a single rocket in the tube.

Factor number three: She decided to "creatively interpret" Ruby's orders when her sister asked her to "find a good spot to set up". While the roof of a nearby building provided a good vantage point, it also meant that her squadmates on the ground wouldn't be able to support the Rocketeer if trouble found Yang.

Factor number four: She decided to dash off to the building's roof with a salute and an "aye aye" before Ruby had decided upon an operative to accompany her. The fact that nothing had gone wrong during the entire operation seemed to give Yang the idea that nothing would go wrong. It seemed like she had forgotten one of the most important adages at XCOM: "There are only two kinds of missions operatives go on: ones where shit has hit the fan, and ones where shit is about to hit the fan."

And so the mission found Yang in her current predicament of stumbling upon a new fireteam of Mutons getting into position on the roof. There was a brief, almost comical moment where all six fighters on the roof just stared at each other, too shocked by the absurdity of the situation to do anything. It was brief, however, and Yang quickly dove behind an AC vent to avoid the spray of plasma.

"Ow! That _hurt_ , you brutes!" She gingerly touched the burn on her arm where one of the Mutons got lucky with a shot. She winced both from the pain and the sound of her cover getting chewed up faster than she liked. She picked up her Stengun and fired blindly from safety, hoping she'd get lucky and hit one of her assailants.

"Four? We're hearing gunfire down here. What's going on?"

 _Crap. I'm never gonna hear the end of it from Ruby if I tell her about this._

"Oh, uh… nothing. Just found a-" _crash_ "Sectoid or two. Give me a minute to-" _bang_ "clear them out."

The AC vent splintered, and Yang suddenly found herself without cover. The next closest obstruction was a good twenty paces away.

"Oh, not good." Spraying her Stengun as if her life depended on it (because it did), Yang dashed as fast as she could towards the lip on the roof. For once, she cursed the rocket launcher on her back and the weight it added to her kit.

"Tssss oww! Ow! Holy mother of- QUIT SHOOTING ME." It was almost like her bare arms were magnets for the stupid plasma flying her way. Her Phalanx armor ate a few of the bolts, but fortune seemed to be favoring the Mutons and her beautiful skin soon had more scorch marks than she would have liked (that number was "zero"). Granted, they were all superficial burns, but they still stung like crazy. As one final gift before Yang managed to reach her precious cover, a plasma round cut clean through the side of her armor and lanced her waist.

A single tear of pain escaped Yang's eye, as she took a moment to catch her breath. Those aliens were going to pay for their transgressions, oh yes. Vengeance would be swift, painful, but most of all: _fiery_.

"Eight-Four, you sure you don't need support?"

Yang managed to respond with a strained, "Yep! No support necessary. I'm, uh… putting the finishing touches on these guys."

She peeked over her cover and cursed. The Mutons had advanced forward while she was catching her breath, and blocked off the ladder she came up as a possible means of escape. Yang's options were dwindling. Of course, she always had her last rocket, but…

She glanced at the ledge behind her, the launcher in her hands, and once more at the Mutons. This idea was going to hurt. It would be awesome, and she'd have a story to brag about back at the rec center, but it was going to hurt. Yang's grip tightened on the alloyed metal and she steeled herself to the crazy plan she was about to go through with.

"Might as well go out with a Yang," she muttered, sad that nobody but herself was there to bear witness to her terrible pun.

"Four…"

"Alright you brutes! You want a light show? _Here's your damn light show_!"

She dashed out of cover, vaulted off of a small AC unit to gain some height, and twisted herself around to get a good view of the Mutons. Luckily, the small size of their battlefield did not favor Yang's foes . Despite their best efforts to fan out, the Mutons had clumped up enough during their advance to be a nice target for a rocket. She wouldn't even have to spend time lining up the shot to hit all of them. Which was good, because she didn't have time to line up a shot anyway, what with the fact that she was mid-jump and all.

The kickback from the rocket knocked the wind out of Yang's lungs and tossed her like a ragdoll off the side of the roof. She clutched the rocket tube like her life depended on it as she watched a pillar of flame erupt from her shot, and braced for (painful) impact.

The next thing she knew, her eyes fluttered open to see the members of Strike Eight peering down at her, a mixture of questioning and concerned looks on all of their faces. Yang managed a weak smile and a feeble salute to her sister.

"X-rays on the roof have been neutralized, sir."

* * *

"The craziest part of all that was you were only in the med bay for _five days_ before Vahlen cleared you for active duty."

Yang shrugged in her usual nonchalant manner and flashed a winning smile.

"What can I say? I work out."

Conor wasn't really listening, too deep in thought trying to come up with another nickname. Vance's eyes narrowed when he saw a sly grin spread across the tech's face.

"Mac…"

Conor clapped his hands in a display of theatrics to get the attention of those seated at the table. "Okay, so hear me out: Xiao Long's got an addiction to explosives…"

"Obviously."

"… and the bigger, the better…"

"Duh."

"Then it's a no-brainer! The obvious choice is BFG!"

"Goddammit Mac, I told-"

"What's a BFG?"

It was now Conor's turn to throw up a nonchalant shrug and smile. "Only a Big Fuckin' Gun that specializes in making Big Fuckin' Explosions."

"Conor, that's not even-"

"Well I'm sold."

Vance's head hit the table. Then he lifted it up about three or four inches and dropped it back down.

Conor, either oblivious to this or simply pretending to be, turned his eyes on Blake, who stared back at him with an unreadable face.

"Lance Corporal Belladonna. You… may be a bit trickier. But fear not! Little Mac is a crafty one. I'll think of something for you yet!"

* * *

Blake decided that she hated this EXALT group. While gene modded soldiers were a common sight around XCOM's base, the level of modifications EXALT performed on its operatives unnerved her. Say what you will about Dr. Vahlen (and most of that was just stupid rumors, apparently), but she made safe integration of the gene mods her top priority. EXALT apparently viewed its own soldiers as expendable, so the terrorist organization had no qualms about doing things "quick and dirty."

And it showed.

While the operatives were certainly human, they seemed… wrong. Her friends only noticed the orange glow rippling just underneath their skin, but Blake's senses let her detect more. And "more" meant "rapid deterioration on multiple levels." It almost compared to hunters snorting powdered Dust: sure, it provided impressive immediate effects, but the long-term destruction to the user's constitution was never worth the risk. These soldiers could rapidly regenerate combat wounds, see farther, jump higher, wore hardened skin, and could pack a serious punch, but only in the short term. Frankly, the idea of slowly decomposing on a genetic level creeped out Blake more than she cared to admit.

So now she really regretted her decision to agree to Bradford's request that she fill in for a wounded Scout on Strike Four's Cover Extraction mission. On the bright side, her quiet request to Dr. Shen paid off. While Blake's teammates seemed to accept the fact that "XCOM operatives don't engage in melee", this was not a notion Blake was willing to agree with. She asked the friendly Chief Engineer earlier to slip her something, _anything_ that she could effectively wield as a last resort in melee. Before Strike Four left on the extraction op, Shen pulled Blake aside and discretely handed her a small combat knife.

"It's not much," the aging engineer had told her, "but I had a few of my guys make it out of recycled materials. 'For a fun challenge' I told them. It has a low-powered laser firing mechanism in the handle's core. Since the least resistive path for heat diffusion is through the blade itself, you can activate the laser to give yourself an advantage over the average knife."

Which brought Blake to her current situation of carefully picking her way through a warehouse. Now the squad's scout, Blake snuck around an alternate route with the intent to catch any EXALT operatives bold enough to try an ambush on Strike Four while they picked their way through the back alley. After a careful-yet-efficient sweep, Blake found no operatives waiting to flank the extraction team as it progressed past the warehouse.

She keyed her mic and reported to the squad leader. "Actual, this is Four. Sweep completed, no EXALT contacts. You're clear to -"

Blake cut herself off, narrowing her eyes and tuning her ears to her surroundings. She felt certain that she didn't miss any rooms on her sweep, but she also felt certain that loose concrete didn't just kick itself. Carefully, quietly, she pulled Dr. Shen's blade out from its pocket on her armor and held it at the ready. All her senses shifted to high alert. Evidently, somebody succeeded in out-stealthing her, and he probably didn't want to chat. She backed herself up against a wall, tuning her hearing to pick up every little noise.

There. Again she heard the slight sound of concrete scuffing. It sounded closer than the first, but gone almost as soon as she heard it. Blake narrowed her eyes. Whoever the infiltrator was, he possessed considerable skill in staying quiet. Only her faunus senses allowed her to detect her foe's movements. Any other operative would have been caught completely unaware. As it was, Blake struggled to track the intruder.

She peeked around the corner and toyed with the idea of contacting the rest of Strike Four. Just as she was about to toggle her mic, a figure materialized directly in front of Blake. Her eyes shot wide while her lightning reflexes kicked into motion, throwing her out of the way as the EXALT operative swung a lead pipe down where her face had been a moment before. She tucked herself into a roll, coming up quickly into a fighting stance and pivoting to face her now-revealed assailant.

As she ducked under another swing and brought her knife up to counter, her mind reeled. How did she fail to see him? He just appeared out of thin air. Even with his obvious skills in remaining silent, he literally materialized out of thin air. Silent movement does not render someone invisible, and yet Blake didn't doubt her eyes. The EXALT agent's downward strike flowed into a spinning swipe, which she dodged with a backstep before darting forward and stabbing him in the leg. She continued past the assailant as he reflexively dropped to his wounded knee just to make sure she wasn't in range of a feint.

She reversed her grip on the knife and gently toyed the trigger powering Shen's upgrade, feeling the hum of the power cell as it reacted to her touch. Blake fully squeezed the grip and watched the metallic blade glow red.

 _Better not touch it by mistake._

The operative staggered to his feet by this point, and Blake could hear his heart pumping loudly when he saw the colored blade and deduced what it meant. He reached back and pulled out a small handgun he tucked under his shirt. Blake cursed when she realized it wasn't a handgun, but a sawed-off shotgun. The close-quarters weapon boomed and several pieces of the buckshot grazed her hip while she spun out of the way. The pain burned, but she didn't have the luxury of surrendering to it now.

Blake dashed at the operative, dropped into a skid, and slashed at her foes legs as she slid past. The EXALT soldier howled in pain, and Blake could smell the pungent scent of burning flesh. It only lasted a moment, and Blake's eyes widened in surprise when she turned around to see the raw tissue bubble and grow in response to the wound she had opened only seconds before. She watched as the dermal layer sealed shut while the flesh beneath continued to writhe as it stitched itself back together.

 _Damn. If I want to put this guy down, I can't slowly chip away at him. My first blow has to be deadly._

The operative brandished his pipe and advanced on Blake. His advance shifted into a sprint, and Blake watched him raise his weapon in preparation for another downward attack. She waited until the last possible moment before bringing her knife up to her chest and rushing inside the effective reach of the operative's weapon. As she did so, the heated blade easily pierced the operative's body armor and plunged itself deep between his ribs. The soldier screamed even before Blake twisted the knife, yanked it out, and re-buried it into his back. She felted his knee give out when she kicked it from behind before grabbing his head with both hands. With one swift motion, Blake snapped his neck.

The rest of Strike Four came racing into view to see a panting Blake standing over the EXALT soldier's dead body. Despite knowing that her recent melee presented a grisly scene, Blake began to grow uncomfortable as her XCOM squadmates continued to stare at her.

Four-Actual finally found his voice. "Uh… Four?" He slowly brought a hand up and made like he was tousling his hair. "You've, uh… you've got a… um… thing… well, two things, actually…"

Blake froze as she finally caught the squad leader's meaning. Her eyes darted around the hallway and found her precious ribbon laying on the floor. It must have come loose during the surprise melee. She covered her ears with one hand and dashed forward to snatch up the ribbon. Her eyes rapidly shifted from one soldier to the next as she set about re-tying her ribbon into a bow.

"Easy there, Four. You look like you're contemplating murder because we've seen too much." Four-Actual let out a nervous cough before giving Blake a wary look. "You're, uh… you're not contemplating murder because we've seen too much, right?"

Blake stopped half-way through the process of putting up her bow. She stared at the squad leader for a good ten seconds before sighing and pulling her ribbon back down.

"I suppose there's no point in trying to hide it, is there?"

Four-Actual shrugged. "Cat's out of the bag now, I think." He laughed at his own joke. "You want to keep this between us?"

Blake looked up, surprised. She knew extraction ops mandated the absence of standard body cameras: EXALT figured out how to tap into those on an early op, resulting in the mission ending horribly. The squad's willingness to keep her secret shocked Blake.

"You're… not reacting how I would have expected, Actual."

"Kid, I've seen civilians get stabbed to death, rise up and strangle one of my men, and then shit out a Chryssalid minutes later. You learn to roll with the punches in this line of work." Four-Actual rubbed his eyes and let out a tired sigh. "Listen, we've got to get to extraction before any more of those EXALT fucks show up. Why don't we talk about this on the ride home?"

Blake nodded before reaching down and yanking her knife out of the dead operative's back. "We should bring this guy back with us. Dr. Vahlen will want to poke around at his insides. Caught me off-guard with some sort of cloaking tech. Might be a gene mod, considering how much they love jamming that stuff into their systems."

Four-Actual nodded and motioned for one of his squadmates to grab the body.

"Alright, kid. Let's get out of here. I know a story when I see one, and we've got a long flight back to HQ."

Blake sighed. Evidently, Vahlen would be getting more than one gene mod out of this op.

* * *

"Yeah, not gonna lie, I'm impressed you managed to keep that a secret for so long." Conor laughed, "You'd be surprised how nosy these assholes are when it comes to… well… anything."

Blake kept her gaze down at her tea. After talking with Bradford and Vahlen, she agreed to keep her bow off. They promised the utmost respect out of XCOM's personnel, but Blake expected a far less welcoming reception than the one she received.

"Seriously, Blake," added one of Conor's friends, "You need to spend a week in Japan after we give the aliens their walking papers. You'll be a fucking _celebrity_ over there. Just ask Colonel Zhang!"

"The Colonel is Chinese, dumbshit."

The tech waved off Vance. "Whatever. Now the important thing is… what nickname should we bestow upon the Lance Corporal?"

Conor tapped his chin thoughtfully, though Major Vance couldn't tell if he was actually thinking or simply putting on another show for the rest of their company. It didn't matter, because his eyes lit up with their usual "aha!" expression that Vance had seen twice so far.

"Sabretooth!"

His exclamation was punctuated with a loud sigh from Vance.

"You know what? Fuck it. I don't care anymore. If Blake is okay with it, then it's fine by me."

Blake looked up from her tea, curious about Conor's suggestion. "Why Sabretooth?"

"Glad you asked! Three reasons, Miss Belladonna. Number one: It's a cat. Number two: It's a really fucking terrifying cat that will tear you to shreds if you piss it off. Three: The X-Men are awesome."

Blake blinked in confusing. "X… Men?"

"Ignore him." Vance said through his facepalm. "Honestly, though, I'm actually okay with this one. The sabretooth is a badass feline from Earth's history and, if what I heard from Strike Four is true, your melee skills easily live up to the name."

Blake mulled over Vance's words, then shrugged. "Sure, I guess."

Conor, satisfied with his handiwork, turned his attention to Weiss. "Oh, yours is easy."

Weiss raised a challenging eyebrow. "Oh really?"

"Uh, duh. Ice Queen. Trying to think of anything else would just be wrong."

Weiss threw her hands into the air. "Why is that _always_ the first thing that everyone thinks of?"

"First thing for what?"

The table grew quiet and all heads snapped around to see Dr. Vahlen standing awkwardly in the doorway to the lounge.

"Doctor… Vahlen? Can we help you?"

Weiss sighed when she saw the doctor nervously grip the tablet in her hand. "Doctor… didn't we agree that you would leave your work behind in the lab if you decided to join us in the recreation center?"

With a quiet "oh!" she hid the tablet behind her back. "So… what were you talking about?"

Conor, who recovered enough from the sight of Vahlen to begin formulating words, answered. "We're, uh… upholding the time-honored, ah… tradition of giving nicknames to operatives and coming up with ones for the new guys in Strike Eight."

"Oh, that's… nice." Vahlen turned to Weiss, the only anchor in her sea of uncertainty that was the rec center. "So why did you sound upset?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Because it seems like you're not the only one stuck with a dumb reputation, Doctor. I guess everything about me screams Ice Queen." She jerked a thumb at Conor. "He would be _at least_ the fifth person to entitle me as such."

Ruby leaned over and whispered to Vance, "She _is_ pretty cold."

Vahlen frowned, tapping a finger to her chin. The uncomfortable silence seemed to stretch on for a long time, unnoticed by the doctor, while everyone waited for her to finish whatever train of thought she was on. Much to the table's relief, she eventually looked up again with a smile. "I know! You can take that name and turn it around. You don't like it because it implies you're a mean, cold-hearted person, right?"

Weiss nodded slowly, unsure of where the doctor's logic was headed. Vahlen continued, "Well, you could just use the name of an ice queen who was a really nice, wonderful person!"

All of the non-Remnants quietly sighed once they realized the implication of Vahlen's words. Weiss, completely oblivious, shrugged. "Alright, who?"

Vance thought he'd never see the day that Dr. Vahlen was _giddy_ with excitement, and yet here he was.

"Elsa!"

All of the XCOM operatives let out a collective groan, while the huntresses of Remnant, who never had to suffer through the oversaturation of Frozen in Earth's media, blinked in confusion. Vance, who had been watching Vahlen's expression, saw it fall considerably at the reaction to her suggestion. Evidently, Weiss did too.

"Well I like it. Short, simple, and now I know the story behind it." She smiled at Dr. Vahlen. "Thank you, Doctor. It's a lovely nickname, and I'm sticking with it."

For the first time since he could remember, Vance saw a genuine smile cross Dr. Vahlen's face. He'd have to thank Weiss later for pulling the Chief Scientist out of her reclusive shell. Everyone, even Vahlen, deserved to have at least one friend.

"So, a round of drinks on me?" Vahlen looked around curiously at everyone at the table. "That's how this works, right?"

… And Vahlen would likely earn a few more before the day reached its end.


	10. Expert Knowledge

Dr. Shen smiled when he saw the elevator doors open into the Engineering Bay to reveal a familiar face walk out, eyes scanning the room for the Chief Engineer. Shen put down the notice for Bradford's latest work order and left his office to go and greet the always-energetic Ruby Rose.

"Good morning Miss Rose, how may I be of assistance today?"

The young Corporal locked in on the sound of Dr. Shen's voice and gave a smile to match his own. "Dr. Shen! I had some time off, and it's been awhile since I came down here to see what you guys were up to, so I thought I'd hang out for a bit."

Shen chuckled and gave Ruby a knowing look. "Are you sure it was because you missed me? Or did someone let slip that Bradford put in a build order for the prototype enhanced beam optics, and you wanted to make sure you were the first in line to test it?"

The engineer confirmed his suspicions when Ruby refused to make eye contact with him and instead opted to kick around a few pieces of loose concrete by her shoes. "I figured as much. And here I thought you wanted to spend some time with dear old Doctor Shen."

Ruby's eyes shot wide, Shen's light-hearted tone evidently going over her head, and she frantically waved her arms in protest, "No no no! You're totally awesome to hang out with! You show me cool stuff, we talk about guns, and… and…" She looked around to make sure nobody was looking, "… and you sneak me cookies from the commissary ever since they cut me off."

Her last comment elicited a laugh from the aging engineer, "I'm pretty sure you set a record for the fastest time an operative had a rule added to _The List_ since recruitment. Speaking of your cookie embargo, I'm going to have to slow down the volume of contraband I sneak out of the commissary for you. I think they're on to me."

Ruby let out a sound that was a cross between a whine and a sob upon hearing the bad news before Shen continued speaking, "It's good that you came down here, though. In addition to letting you test the new beam optics, I've been meaning to ask you a question about your weapons." Ruby's mood shifted almost instantaneously when Shen brought up Crescent Rose.

"I'd love to help! What's up?"

Dr. Shen smiled and gestured for Ruby to follow him back to his office, "Oh, several things. I'm very interested in the form-shifting your weapons posses. Integration into several of our own systems could prove to be advantageous, such as modifying our MEC equipment to allow our troopers to equip both a Kinetic Strike Module and a Flamethrower. I would like your assistance and insight regarding mechanical characteristics such as weight ratios, material densities, composite strengths... that sort of stuff." Ruby's expression lit up at the thought of weapon design. Some of the engineers on Shen's team could take a few cues from the girl's enthusiasm.

"However, there was also one other thing," Dr. Shen continued, "Dr. Vahlen wanted to ask you this question herself, but she figured that you're more likely to see me sooner than you would see her." He winked at Ruby. "Guess she knows you as well as I do."

Shen opened up a file on his datapad and handed it to Ruby, "This dust material that you talk about… you've told us that you use it for a great many things on Remnant, but you haven't explained how it's produced."

"Oh! That's simple. It's embedded inside Remnant's landmass, so we build mines and dig it up. My partner's family owns one of the largest mining companies in existence." Ruby held a hand up to her mouth and stood up on the tip of her toes to whisper into Shen's ear, "That's why she acts all proper and stuff. Her family is super-loaded, and so she's sorta-basically royalty."

The engineer rubbed his chin pensively, "Hmmm, since we've never found traces of Dust on Earth, I think it's safe to assume the only place where it can be naturally extracted is Remnant." He returned his gaze to Ruby. "Do you know if it's possible to artificially fabricate Dust?"

It was Ruby's turn to think. The only Dust she knew of was mined from quarries. Considering what a breakthrough like artificial Dust would do to the Dust market, Ruby was certain that it would be all over the news. "I'm not sure if it's possible. It's never been done on Remnant in any case." She shrugged. "That may have something to do with the monopoly mining companies have on Dust, though. My guess is that if they ever discovered someone making their own Dust, the situation would get… ah… _resolved_ as soon as possible." She cast a sideways glance, and Shen noticed a look of discomfort growing on her face. "Weiss is an amazing person, and I respect her a great deal, but her family's business is known for engaging in… less than savory practices to increase profits. I wouldn't be surprised if they took steps to ensure that mining remained the only way of acquiring Dust."

While Ruby was clearly ashamed at the possibility that profit and greed were holding back progress on Remnant, Dr. Shen was hardly surprised. In all honesty, Earth was just as guilty of that kind of practice. "So what you're saying is that you've never heard of Dust being successfully manufactured, but you've _also_ never heard of the possibility of such a technology being refuted. Is that correct?"

"I… suppose so? Maybe studies were conducted about it before I was born, but I've never heard of it. Ozpin would know," she added, and her expression quickly became one of melancholy.

"Ozpin?"

She shook her head. No point wishing for the impossible. "He's the headmaster at the academy we go to. He's really smart, and if anyone would know something about manufactured Dust, he would." She gave Shen a nudge, a little of her usual spark returning. "If Vahlen ever figures out how to get us back to Remnant, you should meet Ozpin. I think you two would get along really well."

" _When_ Vahlen figures out how to get you back," Dr. Shen corrected, "I'll be sure to pay him a visit and congratulate him on his success as a headmaster. If you and your friends are any indication, he's an extremely talented educator."

Ruby's cheeks became rosy as she blushed under Shen's high praise. He always seemed to know just what to say to a reaction out of her.

"Alright, alright, let's not play the 'Embarrass Ruby Game', I get enough of that from Yang. Unless you have any more questions about Dust, shall we get started with your ideas on form-shifting equipment?"

Shen chuckled and pulled out a fresh pad of paper from his desk. "Yes, let's."

* * *

As usual, Dr. Vahlen was too busy with something on her terminal to look up when she heard people enter. Weiss suppressed a sigh when she saw the doctor's hand go up to signal 'I know you're there, but I'm too busy to give you further acknowledgment at the moment.'

"Doctor, we talked about this."

Vahlen's eyes shot up at the sound of Weiss's voice; evidently, her ability to detect the presence of guests did not extend to discerning their identities, "Oh! Hello, Weiss. Sorry, I was… wrapped up with… research… things, and…" She shook her head. "You're right, I'm sorry. How may I help you?"

Ruby peeked around from behind Weiss, "Actually, Doctor, you called us down to see you."

The Chief Scientist had somehow missed Ruby's presence behind Weiss. Now that she was looking more carefully, she also failed to notice Blake and Yang. "Ah, yes. Indeed I did. I wanted to update you on my team's progress regarding research into Aura and the Hyperwave Relay Event, as I promised the last time we all met."

This evoked a reaction of extreme interest from both Ruby and Yang. Blake, Vahlen noted without surprise, remained impassive. It was likely that Strike Eight's Scout figured out this was the purpose of the meeting as soon as she was informed about it, and opted to withhold judgment until Vahlen finished giving her the facts. Regardless, the doctor was sure that she had the attention of all four huntresses, whether they were showing it or not.

"First and foremost: the Hyperwave Relay." She made a few keystrokes on her tablet and a 3D projection of the device in question winked into existence between the five women. "A fascinating piece of technology, really. It's primary purpose is a communication device, but it's unique insofar as it uses extra-dimensional space to allow for rapid transit of data-"

"Doctor."

"Hmm, yes?" Vahlen looked over at Weiss and saw her friend giving her _that_ look, "Oh, right. Sorry." She cleared her throat and started again, "Bradford and you Strike Operatives have been able to utilize the Hyperwave Relay to determine enemy squad compositions at mission locations. This is because the beacon housed within the relay uses highly advanced methods to bypass normal encryption technology and provides us with extremely accurate data."

She tapped her tablet again and the projection transformed into an exploded view, revealing the beacon itself underneath the housing designed by XCOM's engineering team, "It seems odd that the aliens never developed countermeasures to its use, but perhaps the aliens never expected their technology to fall into enemy hands. It wouldn't be the first time their hubris has worked to our advantage. Not only are we able to determine the nature of enemy contacts, but we have also been able to detect several new UFO signatures that have previously been obscured from our sensors. All interesting information in its own right, but that's not why I brought you here."

Another tap, and the projection started to zoom in on the beacon. Even after the entire projection space was occupied by nothing but the beacon, it continued to zoom. The huntresses watched as the image magnified on the center of one of the several rings supported by the beacon's structure, and eventually stopped as numerous halo-like entities appeared. It reminded Blake of when the doctor showed her the 3D projection of Meld, with multiple strange objects floating in space above her research desk. Unlike the Meld material, however, the halos weren't reacting to each other. They simply exploded and reformed on their own accord. Blake wasn't sure what she were looking at.

Vahlen quickly and happily provided details. "This is a nano-scale magnification of one of the cavities within the beacon. As far as we can tell, these… phenomena you see are quantum collapses and regenerations." She put down the tablet and joined her guests in staring at the strange image before them. "Unfortunately, we have not had this device for very long. It is likely that this technology is the culmination of centuries of work, and we've only had the opportunity to reverse-engineer it for a scant few months. It's not an exaggeration to say that we understand less than ten percent of how the structure works. We were able to understand just enough to adapt it to our needs, but the rest of it is essentially a scientific black box, shrouded in mystery."

She idly tapped on her tablet once more, and the view snapped back to the beacon proper. "While it's true that we can be accused of 'playing with fire' by trying to use something we know so little about, what choice do we have? The invasion leaves us with few options, and any possible advantage _must_ be examined to its fullest extent, no matter how dangerous the consequences may be."

The five of them sat in silence, watching the beacon's rings rotate in a rhythmic manner. While nothing Vahlen said so far was of direct use to the huntresses, it was still held the girls' attention. The doctor continued, "Are any of you familiar with the concept of quantum tunneling? … No? Well, at it's most basic level, quantum tunneling is an event that allows a particle to pass through obstacles and barriers in a way that conventional physics declares to be impossible. In a three-dimensional space, this usually comes in the form of particles escaping an atomic nucleus, or electrons jumping across a metallic barrier due to a large electric field." She waved a dismissive hand. "None of that explains _your_ situation. However, it does provide the basis for a possible theory."

"You said the relay operates in more than three dimensions," Blake observed. "Does your guess rely on that along with this quantum tunneling thing?"

Vahlen smiled. As always, Blake was the most perceptive. "That is correct, Miss Belladonna. We are all beings of three dimensional space, and so we are unable to perceive anything beyond the natural translation and rotation about the X, Y, and Z. However, this does not mean further dimensions are absent. Our preliminary research into the Hyperwave Relay supports that. We do not know for sure if the aliens themselves are capable of operating in extra-dimensional space, but they have developed this device that achieves such a result for them. And if the device is capable of utilizing dimensions beyond our observational capabilities…"

The hologram zoomed back to the view of the halo structures in their constant state of explosion and reconstruction. "… the idea of a 'wormhole' would sound silly and unprofessional to some of my peers in the scientific community, but this invasion has already borne witness to flying saucers, laser guns, zombies, and psychic powers. At this point, teleportational technology would be just one more thing in the ever-growing list of science-fiction-made-real breakthroughs we've made in the last six months."

"Of course," she continued, "This raises more questions than answers. How is the device capable of tunneling macro-scale objects like humans? Why did it specifically chose your precise location on Remnant as the other tunneling point? Did it just use extra dimensions to bridge a gap in three-dimensional space, or are you from a different dimension?" The doctor shook her head. "We're working to answer these sort of questions, but it will take time. For now, though, we believe it's safe to conclude that the extra-dimensional nature of the beacon is what allowed you to wander into our facility from Remnant, and we will work towards replicating the event in a reverse manner to allow you to return."

Ruby nodded. She didn't know what to make of all this quantum tunneling mumbo jumbo, but the doctor's closing statement was optimistic enough. They would just have to wait and see how quickly Vahlen's research team uncovered more information about the Hyperwave Beacon. "Works for us. You said you also wanted to talk about Aura?"

Vahlen nodded, tapped her tablet, and the hologram of the relay disappeared and was replaced with a human body. While the skin was visible on the hologram, so was the skeletal structure, nervous system, and other biological entities Ruby wasn't familiar with.

"I've analyzed the biometrics data taken from the tests you all agreed to. Thank you, by the way," she added, "I truly appreciate your willingness to assist me in this research. I'm afraid I have both good news and bad news. The bad news is that I cannot detect anything different between your biology and those of the Earth-based staff I have on file. If there is some incredibly obvious difference that delineates between those with Aura and those without, it is not something my suite of equipment can identify."

Her guests continued to stare at Vahlen with impassive faces. If the doctor's bad news was upsetting the four girls in her office, they were doing a remarkable job of not showing it. "The good news comes from a little experiment Dr. Shen and I conducted. It was more about satisfying curiosity than anything, but the results are interesting. I believe my associate spoke to you about Dust, Miss Rose?"

Ruby nodded. "He asked about the possibility of artificially manufacturing Dust, yes."

"Indeed. While the possibility of manufacturing our own Dust opens up exciting avenues of research, we are also concerned with how to go about using it."

Vahlen opened up a drawer under her desk and pulled out a small vial containing red Dust. "Weiss graciously shared with me a sample of Dust for my own personal analysis and use. However, I it remains inert when subjected to almost every external stimulus I can think of. It seems that your Aura is the only way to get a reaction out of this material." She put the vial down and smiled. "Or _was_ the only way until about four hours ago."

The Chief Scientist stood up and walked around to the front of her desk where she casually leaned against the edge as she continued talking. Weiss noted that she was nowhere near this casual when they first met, and gave herself a mental pat on the back for helping Vahlen loosen up a bit. She would eventually think of a favor to call in at some point, but for now she was actually enjoying her 'job' of helping the doctor transform from a workaholic robot into an actually sociable person.

"From the way you've described your Aura to myself and Bradford, it is summoned through force of will. You internalize your desire for how it takes shape, and it does so. Well, it occurred to Dr. Shen that this sounded remarkably similar to descriptions given to us by our psionically gifted soldiers. After learning a new psychic technique, they simply _will_ it into tangibility as the situation requires it. So we decided to borrow one of our psi soldiers and see if she could get a reaction out of the dust sample on hand."

Dr. Vahlen's smile grew wider, like a kid who just finished unwrapping her most anticipated gift on Christmas. "It took Captain Durand some time, but she was eventually able to ignite the Dust with her psychic capabilities. We selected the Captain for this test because she is the strongest psionic soldier we have on staff, and therefore the most likely candidate for success in our experiment. Consequently, affecting Dust is almost certain to be much harder or even impossible for other members of XCOM's Psi Corps, but the proof of concept is there."

"So what you're saying," Ruby ventured, "is that the psychic power your soldiers have is basically Aura?"

Vahlen shook her head. "While that is certainly possible based on the evidence, it is not the only available conclusion. There is one concrete fact, and that is psionics is capable of affecting Dust just like Aura. This indicates the two energies are at least similar, which may provide us with a starting point in our efforts to better understand how Aura works."

Yang clapped her hands together, the sharp sound caused the Chief Scientist to let out a squeak of surprise and topple a stack of paper sitting next to her on the desk. Yang, of course, paid no attention to the consequences of her actions, "Hey, sounds good to me! Do you need us to do anything to help, doc? Run some tests or something?"

Vahlen, still recovering from Yang's sudden outburst, returned the now-disorganized pile of papers to the table, "That would be helpful, actually. The only drawback is that testing soldiers for psionic aptitude is an intensive process and takes several days. Either I stagger the testing schedule so that only one of you is unavailable at any given time, or I ask Bradford to temporarily decommission Strike Eight while we run the gamut of test protocols on all four of you simultaneously."

Ruby looked at her three friends, and it looked to Vahlen like the four of them were holding a silent conversation. Whatever it was they were wordlessly discussing, the 'conversation' ended quickly, and Ruby returned her attention to Vahlen with a smile, "With few exceptions, we fight as a team. So if you want all four of us to undergo testing, we're more than happy to do it together."

Dr. Vahlen nodded. "Very well. I will inform Bradford and make the necessary arrangements. Expect testing to take six days. Some parts will be rigorous, other parts… a bit dull, I'm afraid. Brain mapping is time-consuming and there's not much you can do while it progresses."

Yang shrugged, evidently unfazed by the prospect of boring scans, "Hey, it'll all be worth it in the end right?" She nudged Blake and smiled. "I don't know about you, but I'm personally _psi-cked_ about helping Vahlen get us our Aura back! Oww!"

Blake delivered a smack to Yang's head while Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

" _Dammit Yang_."

* * *

A/N: Alright, so as you've seen from Ruby's little chat with Dr. Shen, XCOM is planning to integrate some of Remnant's tech and design philosophies into its own weapon systems. The problem I'm encountering is that my creative juices aren't flowing as well as I'd like, and I'm having difficulty thinking of badass ideas beyond fusing the MEC's Kinetic Strike Module and Flamethrower. If you've got any neat ideas for form-shifting weapons, armor, or utility slot items, leave it in a review or drop me a PM. I would greatly appreciate it!


	11. Lead By Example

A/N: I want to start off by saying that I am absolutely humbled by the influx of responses to my request last week. The feeling you get when so many people enjoy your writing enough to take the time and submit creative suggestions... it's amazing. Some people wrote incredibly detailed messages to me, and I enjoyed going back and forth bouncing ideas off of more than one of you. I even value the couple of messages I received along the lines of "I can't think of any ideas, but I really like your story!" because it conveys the same enjoyment you have for my writing. So thank you all for coming out in force and helping me out.

On the subject of your suggestions, I want to mention that you won't see them for a few chapters, and that's because of several reasons. First, it makes sense in terms of story logic that these plans/designs will take some time before Shen can produce them. Second, I try to keep a 3 or 4 chapter buffer between what I post and the chapter I'm currently writing. This lets me still have something to post on Fridays even if I am unable to write a full chapter on any given week. So it would be difficult for me to go back and try to shoehorn tech into a chapter I've already finished. The awesome fusion of Remnant and XCOM design philosophies will come soon, I promise!

Finally, I also want to make a comment on continuity with regards to the Long War mod. I assume that some (many?) of you have played/completed a Long War campaign. While I absolutely love the tremendous versatility LW provides over Vanilla, I have never progressed beyond Laser Tech in a LW playthrough. What this means is that the timing between events, when XCOM would usually advance to plasma, what month certain aliens show up... there will very likely be some level of disparity on these sorts of matters between my story and what usually happens in LW. I feel like it's not that big of a deal, but I just wanted to point this out in the event that something I write may cause some of you to go "hey, wait a minute!"

Anyway, that's enough chatter from me. Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

The last few days had been extremely stressful for Central Officer Bradford. Things began rolling downhill horribly when a UFO managed to slip through his interceptor net and splash XCOM's satellite over the United States. In any other country, this would be a minor setback that could be quickly rectified by launching one of the several satellites kept in reserve for this very reason. It only takes three days for the new hardware to come online, and coverage of alien activity could return to business as usual.

Unfortunately, the United States housed XCOM HQ.

This meant that, for the three days it took for the replacement satellite to come online, XCOM was blind against any alien activity in the US. Abductions, bombing run, terror attacks… the aliens employed numerous methods that spread panic among the nations of Earth. While XCOM couldn't possibly block every attempted alien mission, Bradford prioritized keeping the operation's home country safe whenever possible. If the US ever fell and the aliens managed to get a foothold here… Bradford shuddered at the idea of the aliens locating XCOM HQ.

Even if the alien operations didn't succeed in convincing the American government to pull funding from the XCOM project, responding to abductions or terror attacks meant fielding a Strike team, and that meant the squad would need several days to rest after the mission, or more if soldiers sustained a serious injury during the operation. As it was, Bradford already had Strike Eight out of the picture after Vahlen convinced him to approve Psi Testing four days before the aliens shot out his eye in the sky. After Vahlen delivered her less-than-fortunate news to the team yesterday, Bradford didn't have the heart to return them to active duty. He had enough teams standing by to handle operations in their absence, but coupled with the fact that several other teams were still fractured due to an unfortunate string of recent combat wounds… it would be tight if the aliens decided to throw a curveball at Bradford.

At the end of the third day, Bradford felt like he could finally breathe easy. With the satellite due to activate in five minutes, the Central Officer noted that the aliens didn't launch a single abduction against the American populace. With a relieved sigh that he'd been holding for three days, Bradford called over the intercom to deliver the good news to XCOM's residents: business at the base would soon be returning to normal. Bradford basked in his good fortune for a solid minute of silence before he forced himself to resume his regular duties.

"Alright team, let's get to work. Our new sat will be linking up in a minute, so we're back to business as usual. We've been lucky that we haven't had any other incidents with either the aliens or EXALT over the past few days, and it's unlikely that the trend will continue for much longer. Now we can shift back to our regular flow and put this stressful incident behind us."

"Sir?" One of the techs spoke up. "Comm sat is coming online in three… two… one…"

The geoscape instantly updated with the fresh information coming from the new satellite, and Bradford's heart plummeted.

"What the hell…?"

* * *

Yang was pissed. It was one thing for the stupid psi testing to be as boring as watching paint dry, worse even. She could have tolerated that. She was also perfectly happy to chill in a testing tank, suspended in frigid water while a bunch of wires ran signals through her noggin and recorded the reactions from her scrambled brain. The discomfort was totally worth it to get her Aura back. Sure, there were a few times when Vahlen ordered them to exit the tanks and observed while they followed instructions given to them by a screen prompt. That would have broken up the monotony of sitting in an ice bath, except the instructions demanded incredibly boring tasks like "walk across the room" or "drop to your back, then stand up again." After an hour of prompts, and it was back into the tanks for RWBY.

The time something went wrong and the air supply to the testing tanks cut out marked the only event Yang could have gone without. The members of RWBY enjoyed a fun _forty seconds_ where they flew into panicked action while Vahlen scrambled to get the air supply running again. Ruby almost scrubbed the rest of the test right there, except Vahlen firmly believed she found the error that triggered the shutoff and assured the team leader that a similar event would not happen again. Thankfully, she wasn't wrong, and even though Yang never wanted a repeat of those horrifying forty seconds ever again, she would have been fine with it for the sake of her Aura.

Except the tests _didn't work_.

After they were done, and the four bright-eyed huntresses met up with Vahlen for the first time in literally days, the doctor dropped the bad news on them. Not only were they _not_ psionically sensitive, but Vahlen claimed she had figured out the cause of their Aura suppression. This would ordinarily be good news, except Vahlen followed it up immediately by saying she would not be able to easily fix the problem. All Yang heard after that was "blah, blah, electromagnetism… something, something, blocking your channels… yadda, yadda, extensive calibrations." She didn't blame the doctor for sharing her findings, but it didn't solve the number one problem plaguing Yang.

Blake apparently noticed her partner's apathy after Vahlen's "I have bad news," because Yang's partner pulled her aside afterward and re-explained everything Vahlen said.

"Vahlen said that her equipment failed to directly detect our Aura, but she still detected some strange readings during the tests. Since she confirmed that we don't possess psionic abilities, the next best explanation is that our Aura caused the anomalies."

Yang flopped onto her bed and sighed heavily, "Right, I heard that part. so what's the problem, then?"

"Well, she said that the triggered reactions were extremely weak."

"How weak?"

"Weaker than a psi operative on his first day, and they get headaches when they try to move a wet noodle."

"Wonderful," grumbled Yang, "Would you mind giving me the good news? Is there even any good news?"

"Well, she does have a theory on what the problem is. That failure with the air supply?" Blake winced when she saw Yang's eyes narrow dangerously, "... It wasn't exactly a failure. While we were panicking for forty seconds, Vahlen observed the readouts on our vitals."

"She suffocated us for forty seconds?!"

Blake sighed, "Yes, Yang. She did. She admitted that the idea was horrible, and Weiss is currently having a long talk with Vahlen about ethics. The point is, she found something."

"This 'something' better be heart-stoppingly amazing, or I might be crashing Weiss's chat with the doc."

"Well, the panic pushed our adrenaline into overdrive," Blake continued, "And Vahlen's metrics for our Aura rose drastically. Where before, she barely detected enough supernatural strength to pass XCOM's psi aptitude standards, the adrenaline spike made us more potent than Captain Durand."

"Durand? She's XCOM's best psionic, isn't she?"

"When XCOM first met her, she unleashed a telekinetic shockwave that knocked MECs off their feet and caused nearby cars to burst into flame. And that was _before_ she had the chance to improve her psionic skills as an operative.

"... Damn."

"Anyway, because the adrenal spike played such a huge role in our successful Aura demonstration, Vahlen thinks there's something different between the electromagnetic environment of Earth and Remnant."

"So we can blame the problem on some sort of science bullshit that's out of our control, huh?" Yang balled her hands into fists, " _Shocking_."

Blake shrugged, "I'm a little fuzzy on the details, it's Vahlen after all, but the gist of it is that the adrenaline triggered a lot of neuron activity, which in turn generated some sort of counter field that unsuppressed our Aura. We don't really know why, but the fact that it happens is enough to give Vahlen a lead."

Yang relaxed momentarily, a look of hope on her face, "Alright, then all we gotta do is get our adrenaline going and we can fight like we're back on Remnant, right?"

"Don't you think that would've happened by now?" Blake asked, "Let's face it: these aliens can be pretty dangerous, but they don't hold a candle to the Grimm. And since we've spent all our lives fighting those soul-less monsters, Mutons and Thin Men just don't provoke the same reaction from us."

Blake watched Yang's hopeful face turn to one of mute sadness, "Well, can she at least find some way to fake the adrenal response? Or create an artificial counter field?"

"Yes and no. Technically, it's possible, but Vahlen spent about five minutes going on about how complex the human nervous system is before Weiss cut her off. It'll take _a lot_ of data collection and calibrating, and she'd need an active adrenal response during the entire collection period."

Yang winced, "Which means…"

"Yeah," Blake sighed, "Which means she'd need to do something on par with the air supply stunt to get any useful data from us. We would literally have to subject ourselves to torture if we want Vahlen to get this problem solved within the next year."

"Something tells me that my little sister is not okay with this."

"Neither is Vahlen, nor would Bradford be if we ever told him. The doctor will do her best to try and brute-force the problem with intelligent guesswork, but she warned us that we probably won't see results anytime soon."

Yang fell back into her pillow, "Wonderful."

So midnight found Yang at the armory. The news infuriated the huntress to the point that she couldn't sleep, so she opted to spend some quality time at the range shooting targets and pretending they were Dr. Vahlen. After an hour of shooting alone in the dead of night, Yang grew bored and found herself no closer to wanting sleep. Her next idea took her to the live fire room, where she planned to set up a stamina-intensive course and run it in full gear. Not only would the process of setting it up take time and hopefully distract her, but running from cover to cover with a heavy rocket tube strapped to her back and a full complement of explosives would definitely get Yang's blood pumping. The plan did nothing to solve the problem of her aura, but at least it would feel good.

It took the Rocketeer fifteen minutes to set up a course, and Yang was strapping down the last few components of her armor when she heard someone cough lightly behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see Ruby smiling back at her, gear in her arms. "Mind if I join you?"

Yang shrugged. "Sure, why not? I'm guessing you couldn't sleep either?"

Ruby sat down next to her and went to work putting on her Kestrel Armor. Yang agreed to stick with Carapace Armor after her little run-in with that squad of Mutons on the roof, but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't at least mildly jealous of the grappling hook that came with Ruby's suit. Sure, it wasn't as sturdy as Ol' Faithful, but the nature of Ruby's role as a Sniper meant that she stayed safely out of the line of fire more than the rest of the squad. In theory, at least.

"It sorta makes sense," Ruby started, interrupting Yang's musings on their class differences. "She talked about our Aura activating when we're really stressed out, and it made me think. Remember how I got the nickname No-Scope?"

Yang nodded.

"I saw that alien grenade get thrown at Weiss and my heart stopped." She finished strapping on her armor and began a quick check on her rifle, "My partner's tough, I know… but she had just finished blasting her way through a group of Mutons, and you don't come out of that unscathed. The grenade was going to seriously hurt her, and I knew it." She brought the rifle up to her shoulder and looked through the scope, checking to see if it was properly aligned, "I told you guys that it almost felt like time slowed down when I lined up my shot on the grenade, but after hearing Vahlen's theory… maybe time really _did_ slow down, you know? My semblance kicked in and my reactions, senses, and motion all kicked into overdrive to make sure that grenade didn't connect with Weiss."

It made sense to Yang. She looked down at the Stengun in her hands, "Yeah… I'm pretty tough myself, but even I was surprised when I walked out of the med bay five days after I jumped off the roof. I mean, I know Vahlen said that our biology is a little tougher than the these guys from Earth, but I was not expecting to be out so fast."

Ruby stood up, slung her sniper rifle over one shoulder, and offered her free hand to Yang, "So hey, even if we don't get to use our Aura whenever we want, it looks like we still have it when we _need_ it, right?" Her sister smiled and let Ruby pull her to her feet. "Right, shall we get started then?"

The lighting in the room suddenly dimmed to the point where Ruby could barely make out the shape of Yang in front of her. Klaxons started to go off and were accompanied by emergency red siren lights. The two sisters looked up in confusion at the alarms, not sure what was causing them. Bradford's voice over the PA quickly answered their unasked question.

"This is Central. We have Security Status RED. Rep-"

Bradford's voice abruptly cut out to the sound of a loud, metallic clang. Ruby and Yang swapped worried looks; this was a new experience for them. Did XCOM frequently go to status red, or was this a first?

"Repeat, we have a Security Status Red," Bradford's voice was ragged now, as if he was in the middle of a physical contest, "Alien assailants have been detected at the outer perimeter, and are closing quickly." The Central Officer stopped talking. Ruby heard the familiar sound of a pistol cocking, and then a single gunshot. "Sensors have picked up _two_ Assault Carrier-class contacts, and they used the gap in our net to approach undetected. We need all hands on deck to repel this attack. Strike teams, get prepped ASAP. Base security will do what it can to hold off the invaders while you get to the Armory and gear up."

Ruby and Yang stood frozen, staring at each other, with the alarms and flashing lights merely background noise. Ruby recovered first from the shock and reach for the nearest intercom panel. "Central, this is Eight-Actual and Eight-Four. We are currently in full combat kit and ready to help in whatever capacity you need."

There was silence after Ruby let go of the button, and she wondered if the alien attackers had done something to the system's electronics. Finally, Bradford's heavy breathing came through the panel's speaker between intermittent coughing fits, "I won't ask what you're doing… equipped for combat at one in the morning, because... it's a godsend right now. We have multiple points of entry for hostile contacts, and several are…" a particularly nasty bout of coughs interrupted the Central Officer, "... several are likely on approach to Dr. Shen's engineering facility. Get there as fast as you can and coordinate… any base defense personnel you find there. Grab one of the commlinks Shen has laying around and key yourself to channel four-five-one. Godspeed, Actual."

Ruby gave an affirmative response before nodding to Yang and bolting towards the Engineering Bay. As she ran, she raced by the occasional blue-armored base security soldier. Some were running in her direction, some not. Most quivered in terror, some were even stumbling in their panic, and all were in a hurry. She soon reached the elevator that led down to her favorite part of the base and punched the call button. The brief respite while the lift rumbled up to their floor gave Yang a chance to catch up with her swift-footed sister. Several beads of sweat already glazed her face.

"Sis, I'm carrying a buttload of heavy equipment. You gotta slow down a little if you want me to keep up."

"You heard Bradford, Yang. Engineering could be attacked at any second. We have to hurry."

Yang nodded. "Yeah, I get that. All I'm saying is this stuff isn't light, you know?"

The doors open and the two huntresses piled in while Ruby jammed the button for the engineering facility. Before the doors closed, several members of base security squeezed into the elevator.

"You all headed for Engineering?" Ruby asked as the doors closed. The soldier closest to the door eyed Ruby with a wary look before responded with a 'Yeah.'

"Alright, I've been tasked by Central Officer Bradford to coordinate the defense forces on location. Do you know how many other soldiers are assigned to our group?"

The big guy in the front turned around gave Ruby an incredulous stare. "You're kidding. Bradford wants _you_ to order us around?"

A familiar voice sang out from the corner of the room. "Hey, pay attention who you're talking to, ya dumbfuck. Lance Corporal Rose here earned the nickname No-Scope for a reason."

Ruby turned to see Conor shove his way towards the center of the cramped elevator. "Conor…? But… I thought you were a power supply tech."

The Irishman shrugged. "Yeah, well… nobody is immune to pulling shifts as base security." He rolled his eyes. "Lucky me that the aliens decided to pop in for a pint _five minutes_ before my turn was over."

The rude soldier at the front gave Conor a shove. "Hey, MacAuley. You know shortstack over there?"

"How the fuck do you not? She's one of the best up-'n-coming Snipers on staff, and Claymore's prodigy."

"You mean protégé?"

Conor gave him the finger. "My point is, Rose here knows her shit. And she says _Bradford_ authorized her to coordinate Engineering's defenses. So if she says jump and you don't immediately respond with 'how fucking high,' I swear to God I will kick your teeth in."

The other soldier put his hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright. Jesus, man. Didn't know you had a crush on the ki-"

He was cut off by a right-hook from Conor to the face. "What did I just say, Timmons? What the fuck-"

" _EVERYONE NEEDS TO SHUT THE FUCK UP RIGHT NOW_."

Dead silence as all eyes turned to Ruby.

"In case you all haven't noticed, there is a _base assault_ in progress, and it's our job to repel it. I don't give a _shit_ whether or not you respect me, but I _know_ you respect everything XCOM stands for. So stop being a bunch of jack-offs and _help me shoot some fucking aliens_."

The rest of the elevator's occupants were speechless for a good second and a half before the doors opened and Ruby shoved past everyone and marched her way towards Engineering. Yang ran up and locked step next to her, a smile creeping up on the Rocketeer's face, "You either need to spend less time with guys like Conor, or more. I'm not sure which."

Ruby sighed and unslung her rifle. "I don't know either, but it felt good to chew them out. All hell is breaking loose, and we've got immature _children_ to help us. Come on, let's go meet up with the rest of Engineering's security detail."

Yang smirked at her sister's irritation, but chose to continue their walk in silence.

It only took a minute for Ruby to make her presence known to all ten of the blue-shirts gathered around Engineering. After the base security from the elevator filed into the room with their tails between their legs, the head count bumped up to fifteen. Ruby organized them into fireteams of three: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon. Her next task was figuring out where they should take cover.

Ruby scanned the cavernous expanse that composed Engineering's main hall, eyes alert for ideal firing positions and likely points of entry. The massive service door on the north end was the obvious choice for aliens looking to breach the facility. Therefore, she decided to set up her fireteams in an arrangement that would require the aliens coming through that door to run through multiple firing lanes before they could even approach the base security's positions. She knew, however, not to bet everything on a single assumption, and so it was vital to ensure that each firebase couldn't be easily flanked from other directions. Fortunately, Engineering's size made it relatively easy to create interlocking fire lines between teams. The aliens would be hard-pressed to isolate one and take it down without taking heat from at least one other squad.

To begin with, several long assembly lines ran through the center from north to south, with bulky machinery scattered along their lengths. Both the belt lines and the hardware provided ample cover, which Ruby had no intention of freely providing to their alien guests. She stationed Alpha and Beta at the south end of the conveyors to turn the potential safe haven into a kill zone.

The southwest corner of the room had several large forklift-type vehicles that could be used as great cover and had a decent view of most of the room. Setting up a squad in a defensible position that Alpha and Beta could fall back to would be useful: they were likely the closest to the enemy contacts, and therefore likely the ones to get hit hardest. Ruby positioned Gamma among the lifts as insurance for Alpha and Beta's safety.

The east and west sides had stairs leading up to a set of catwalks that ran along the middle to connect both sides in the shape of an 'H.' Primarily used by Dr. Shen and his foremen to oversee daily production, the Chief Engineer also had his office along the east wall on this second floor. Both catwalks had stockpiles of crates and equipment, and Ruby ordered Delta and Epsilon to set up along each so that they could provide cover fire from an elevated position. The catwalks also offered superior positions for grenadiers, so the soldiers carrying Flashbangs, Anti-Personnel explosives, and Smoke Grenades were put into those fireteams.

Ruby decided that she and Yang would take cover by Shen's Office. Not only the elevated position provide an excellent view for for the two sisters, but they could personally make sure that no aliens got past them to kill the Dr. Shen.

While Ruby coordinated the fireteams, Yang checked in with Shen, who had been asked to hole up in his office by the security detail before she and Ruby arrived. By the time Ruby was done setting up her improvised squad in optimal cover, Yang returned with a commlink and a grin.

"Good news, sis," she began as she handed Ruby the earpiece, "Shen had a few SHIVs in the Repair Bay next door after a mission four days ago. He says they're pretty much combat ready. The boot sequence will take a while, but… he can control them from the terminal in his office. Those aliens will have to _tread_ lightly once those Shenbots come online."

Ruby sighed, "Then we'll just have to give him time to power them up. How much firepower are you packing?"

"Two rockets and a shredder."

"Hopefully we won't need more than that before help arrives." She keyed her comm and hailed Bradford. "Central, this is Eight-Actual. We've set up a defensive perimeter in Engineering and stand ready to engage hostile forces. When can we expect reinforcements?"

Bradford's crisp voice came back through the link in her ear, "Soon. Eight-Two and Eight-Three have been ordered to join you ASAP, and Engineering is Strike One's second priority after they've repulsed the invaders from the front door. Other Strike teams have been assigned different sectors of the base, so you'll have to hold out until Strike One can get to your location. I've taken the liberty of patching all teams into a single channel. We'll still have a private frequency for me to relay instructions specifically to your sector, but if issues arise in other locations that might bleed over into Engineering, you have a right to know in real time."

As if on cue, Ruby heard the other Strike leaders checking in one by one.

"Central, this is Strike One. We've made it to Delta sector. Captain Durand was somehow incapacitated before the assault, and has been taken to the med bay. Be advised, sir: judging by the way she was clutching her head and screaming, there may be some psionic element to this assault."

"Central, this is Strike Four. We're in position at the labs. No sign of contacts yet."

"Central, Strike Six reporting. We've reached the hangar. All's quiet so fa-" Ruby heard a loud explosion over the commlink, and she could barely hear a soldier from Six shout, "- the Skyranger! They blew the _fucking Skyranger_!"

It only took that one phrase to shake Ruby. How could they get the Skyranger so easily? And how would XCOM recover from that? They only had one transport, and Ruby didn't know how long it would take to get the bird running again. In the meantime, how much panic could the aliens and EXALT sow before the good guys got the chance to once again respond with force?

Like it always did, Bradford's voice brought Ruby back to more important matters. "Look alive, Actual: you've got a wall of heat signatures about to breach your perimeter through the vents above."

"Understood, Central." Ruby shook off her previous misgivings and turned towards the blue-shirts waiting for the fight to start. Good thing she didn't bet everything on a service door entry. "We've got contacts coming in from the vents. The _moment_ the first group drops down, I want Timmons chucking a flashbang to stun it. As more drop, Zanakos, Ruiz, and Altinsoy will also toss bangs _in that order_. The rest of you… light 'em up. Lance Corporal Xiao Long has rockets for when things get messy."

One of the vent gratings began to rattle loudly before the ripped open and a Chryssalid dropped down through the new hole. Then three more. Two Thin Men followed suit while Ruby heard the sound of four Seekers cloaking. The aliens certainly weren't pulling any punches in their attempt to take Engineering.

"Contacts!" She shouted, easily dropping her first prey, an unlucky Thin Man, as the firefight began.


	12. Bring 'Em On

Timmons threw his flashbang before the first Chryssalid hit the floor, and the clump of aliens all landed within its range by the time the grenade detonated. Following the bang, all fireteams opened up on the stunned aliens with a degree of accuracy that impressed Ruby. Laser rifles lanced out from the catwalks and struck the exposed assailants, cutting down two of the three Chryssalids and wounding the second Thin Man. The survivors scrambled for cover or raced towards the closest available victim, but Alpha and Beta took aim and cut them down as they ran along the assembly lanes.

Ruby began to hear commotion on the commline from the other Strike leaders.

"Mutons sighted at the labs. Vahlen is secure, and we're engaging hostiles."

"Comm sat detail here. We've got Berserkers inbound!"

As Ruby steadied her rifle in preparation for another wave of contacts, a loud bang snapped her attention back to the ceiling. Three more grates dropped to the floor, followed by several more Chryssalids, Thin Men, and even a few Floaters. The three blue-shirts Ruby had marked for flash duty readied their grenades, but two of them were attacked by Seekers dropping out of cloak. The long, tendril-like appendages coiled around the helpless victims and tightened into a choke hold that crushed out any precious air from the victims' lungs. The flashbangs, already primed for throwing, went off uselessly at their feet. Ruby's situation just turned from "manageable" to "problematic."

"Yang…" Ruby said through gritted teeth as she swung her rifle around and shot one of the Seekers off its target with a single pull of the trigger. The other two members of Epsilon made short work of the robotic flyer. With only three fireteams focusing on the killzone, the Chryssalids began to make progress in their advance towards Alpha and Beta.

"Yup," Yang's responded, her launcher already lined up with its target. The rocket thundered towards the center of the room and flames plumed outward from the point of contact. The aliens fortunate enough to survive the explosion slammed into the conveyor belts like ragdolls. The few seconds of distraction offered by the rocket were enough for Alpha and Beta to cut down another two Chryssalids.

"Shit!" a voice shouted on the comm, "This is Strike Three, confirming Sectoid Commander presence in the assault force. Fucker managed to get 8-Ball shooting at us before we could put it down."

"Hey, at least you don't have Floaters trying to cram themselves up your ass. Some of them even learned to wear armor"

Strike Four was right: the Floaters presented a dangerous problem for Ruby. None of the ones in Engineering had any additional armor, but that didn't mitigate their ability to kill Ruby's blue-shirts. They flew at high speed around the room, making it difficult for the troopers to connect any shots and wasting precious time that could be spent gunning down the equally deadly Chryssalids. Further, their completely unrestricted flight path let them easily flank the base personnel, even the ones high up on the catwalks, which they abused without mercy. Just after they managed to deal with the Seeker, Delta was forced back down into cover from Floater suppressive fire, and one from Epsilon was outright killed by a shot to the back. With the Thin Men also punishing any soldier stepping out of cover to take shots at the aliens, Ruby had herself a recipe for slaughter-by-Chryssalids.

"Ground teams, focus on the 'Lids! Epsilon and Delta, you need to deal with those Thin Men! Eight-Four and I will handle the Floaters!" Ruby shouted. She took aim at one of the flying, flesh-and-steel monstrosities. It stopped its erratic flight pattern to suppress one of the troopers, and Ruby made sure it paid for its mistake. Although Yang wasn't able to beam the Floaters with the pin-point accuracy of her sister, she still managed to put her firearms training to use. A clean shot to the ribs was enough to pull her target's attention off of Epsilon, allowing one of the soldiers to toss an Anti-Personnel grenade into a cluster of Thin Men.

As Alpha, Beta, and Gamma continued to fire at the Chryssalids, the alien horrors succeeded in getting closer and closer before falling. More continued to drop from the ceiling while Thin Men accompanied them to keep the defenders locked down behind cover. Every now and again, a soldier from the catwalks would toss an AP or HE grenade when enough of the invaders clumped together, but the tide of purple showed no sign of slowing down. Ruby was so focused on taking down the last Floater that she didn't see the first Chryssalid finally reach its target. She definitely heard the terrified scream, though, and looked over in time to see the alien pick up a helpless trooper from Alpha and impale her through the gut with one of its wicked talons. Ruby had to fight down the urge to retch as she watched the soldier's lifeless body get tossed to the floor, followed up by the Chryssalid leaning over to spit into the corpse's mouth.

The other Strike teams seemed to also have their fair share of bad luck, "Four-Five is down! I swear, the accuracy of those fucking Thin Men is complete bullshit."

"Strike One, here. We've got Cyberdiscs are coming in through the cavern by the rear guard station and Mechtoids through the supply entrance. These guys aren't pulling any punches. Eight, we've received instructions from Central to assist with Engineering's situation after we clear out Delta, but these mechs just raised the stakes."

The Chryssalid's gruesome execution immediately affected Ruby's soldiers. The two other soldiers on the Alpha started to hyperventilate and shoot wildly (and ineffectively) at the alien. Beta, with its front-row seats to the spectacle, also panicked. One soldier screamed "No, goddammit, NO!" before bolting towards Gamma's position. A Thin Man popped up and took aim at the fleeing soldier. Before it could shoot, a heated beam of light crashed through the infiltrator's skull and the alien exploded in a cloud of acid.

"Yang! Chryssalid! Now!" Ruby shouted. The two of them stood up in unison, took aim, and fired upon the Chryssalid from across the room before it could claim another panicked victim. Ruby scored a clean headshot that sent the insectoid stumbling backwards while Yang, aiming for its center of mass, drilled its chest with her volley and killed the monster. The damage was done, though. With the two frontline fireteams panicking, it was only a matter of time before the horde overwhelmed them.

Almost as if on cue, the doors to the elevator opened with a ding and the lifeless carcass of a Chryssalid was kicked into the room.

Ruby almost cried in relief when she heard the familiar voice of her partner shout, "Anyone _else_ want a piece of this?!"

A Thin Man stepped around a pile of crates and lifted its weapon to shoot Weiss, but was knocked off its feet with an orange beam to the chest as Blake also emerged from the elevator. They didn't need Ruby to give them instructions before leaping into action. Blake grappled to Delta up on the catwalks and got to work picking off the Thin Men while Weiss charged towards Beta to blast any Chryssalids that got too close from their drop point.

Ruby checked in with Bradford. "Central, Eight-Two and Eight-Three have arrived. They'll help shore up Engineering's defenses, but I don't think we'll be able to hold out indefinitely. How's Strike One doing with the mechs?"

"It's nothing Strike One can't handle, but Cyberdiscs and Mechtoids require… finesse if casualties are to be avoided. You'll need to hang on for a while longer."

A loud blast caused Ruby's heart to sink when she looked up to find the source.

"Understood, Central, but it looks like the assault craft sent a few of those heavy hitters our way as well. I've got eyes on a pair of Cyberdiscs that just entered Engineering."

She watched as the sleek discs silently glided into the room through the smoldering remains of Engineering's service door, as if they were not at all worried about entering a warzone with seventeen armed XCOM personnel. Then again, if Ruby had a hardened alloy shell and horrifyingly powerful assault cannons, she wouldn't be worried either. Thankfully, her fireteams didn't waste time gawking at the new threats and continued shooting down the advancing Chryssalids. The new mechanized contacts definitely required attention, however.

"Hey Yang, I think it's time for that Shredder Rocket…"

"And I think you are completely right, little sister."

Yang hefted her launcher, took aim at the two discs-

"Yanggetdown!"

… and was knocked to the ground by Ruby as the machines unfurled themselves to reveal four assault cannons and opened fire on their position. The volley was withering, and Ruby winced as large chunks of concrete were blasted away from the corner of Shen's office and ricocheted off her arms and face. For five full seconds, the Cyberdiscs worked on completely and utterly destroying the wall Ruby and her sister used for cover. When the shooting stopped, Ruby peeked out to see the two constructs slowly advance on her position while steam poured out of their cannons as they vented in preparation for another salvo. The concrete wouldn't survive a second onslaught like that, and Ruby scrambled to find a solution.

"Hey! Over here!"

… Or she could just wait for her partner to make a solution. Ruby watched Weiss dash towards the Cyberdiscs and bombard the nearest one with her her Scatter Blaster. Its (comparatively) fragile guts became exposed when it switched to Assault Mode, and the damage from Weiss's attack forced an immediate reaction: the two machines folded back up into their Compact Mode and floated towards their new target. A target so intently focused on the high-priority Cyberdiscs that it failed to notice the Chryssalid breaking past Alpha and Beta's killzone.

"Weiss!"

Ruby's partner turned around in time to bring her arm up and deflect the talon slash intended for her spine, and she cried out as the force of the Chryssalid's blow caused her to her back and sent her shotgun clattering away. Ruby watched in horror as the two Cyberdiscs unpacked and prepared to fire at their now very-exposed target. There was nothing Ruby could do to eliminate both discs and the Chryssalid before one of the three murdered her friend.

A flurry of high-speed laser fire slammed into both Cyberdiscs. Ruby didn't waste time in sniping the Chryssalid while Blake leapt down from her position on the far catwalk, put an arm around Weiss's waist, and grappled to Ruby and Yang's cover. The timely arrival of Dr. Shen's Super Heavy Infantry Vehicles bought the team an opportunity to rescue their wounded comrade, but the wound inflicted by the Chryssalid did not look pretty.

"Umm, I don't think skin is supposed to turn that color…"

"Oh really, Yang?" Weiss hissed through gritted teeth. "I thought a disgusting green color was _normal_ for a scratch."

Ruby looked around the wall to see the SHIVs continuing in their efforts to keep the Cyberdiscs occupied. She knew it wouldn't last, though. In a straight-up fight, those discs would win every time. The situation in the rest of the room also wasn't looking that great. The Chryssalids had managed to "tag" two more of Engineering's security detail, and all three soldiers rose as zombies to attack their former friends. Ruby raised her rifle and snapped off a shot that hit one of the soldiers square in the chest, but it continued to shuffle after the direct hit.

On the bright side, the flow of fresh aliens slowed considerably since the arrival of the Cyberdiscs. They were likely the 'endgame' for the invasion efforts of Engineering; however, unless Ruby came up with something to help the Shenbots, the aliens wouldn't need anything else to clean up shop.

"Strike Six here: we're suffering heavy losses at the hangar trying to keep these bastards from fucking the Skyranger worse than they already have. Could use a little help if anyone's feeling generous."

"Six, this is Five. Had a stroke of luck beating back a Muton incursion, so we're looking pretty good here in Comms. I can send an operative or two your way." Ruby allowed herself a small sigh of relief. This was the first time she heard good news on the channel.

Ruby gave Weiss a quick once-over. There was no way she could keep fighting without aggravating that wound. The situation looked grim, especially now that Ruby's Assault was down for the count, but no worse than some ops Strike Eight finished over the past month. Their best bet was to take care of the discs as fast as possible and hope the blue-shirts could keep the remaining Chryssalids and zombies locked down.

"Blake, can you take care of Weiss? Yang and I need to keep working on those stupid discs before they turn their attention to the rest of the soldiers."

Blake nodded, and Ruby turned to her sister.

"Still got that shredder?"

"Yep! Do I get to shoot them in the nuts?"

"I hope you're looking forward to volunteering yourself for kitchen duty next week-"

"Worth it."

Ruby sighed, "Just wait until I get into position, and then shred them."

Yang gave her usual salute, and Ruby took aim at a mechanized rail meant for crane work. While any other operative would appreciate the height advantage offered by the rail, it's narrow frame made it difficult to safely balancing atop the beam. Ruby, however, was a lot smaller than any other operative. She zipped towards the new position with her grapple and easily flipped herself up into a standing position. Yang gave her a thumbs up, then launched her rocket at the two Cyberdiscs.

The fight between the discs and the Shenbots left the former deployed in their Assault Mode, which made it all the sweeter when Yang's HEAT shredder rocket detonated between them and laid waste to their inner machinery. It would take more than that to destroy them, of course, but the attack caused significant damage all the same. Even better, their insides became so bent out of shape from the blast that they were unable to completely fold back into their Compact Form when they tried. A small gap in the hardened alloy shell left their fragile mechanics exposed to Ruby's vantage point. The Sniper took careful aim with her rifle and lanced one of the Cyberdiscs with a shot that cleanly slipped through its defenses. A second hit to its precious hardware was enough to drop the construct, sending it to the floor and taking out a nearby Chryssalid with its death throes.

A rallying cheer went up with the fireteams. The remains of Alpha and Beta had fallen back to Gamma and finished killing their comrades-turned-zombies. Delta and Epsilon, previously pinned down by the Thin Men, finished clearing out the Chryssalids thanks to Blake's assistance. With no other targets in sight, all capable soldiers helped Ruby by concentrating their fire on the Cyberdisc while the Shenbots kept it suppressed. Another ten seconds, and the remaining Cyberdisc fell to its death.

Ruby wiped the sweat that began forming on her forehead and keyed her comm to give Bradford the good news. "Central, this is Eight-Actual, the Cyberdiscs have been elimin-" _STOMP. "_ … a-" _STOMP._ "…ted whatonearthisthatthing?"

The confused response from Bradford became background noise in Ruby's head as she watched a new… thing make its way through the wreckage of the service door. It was unlike anything she had seen before during her team's training and education on the alien invaders. Cyberdiscs and Mechtoids already filled the role of 'terrifying robotic alien,' but this… they had _nothing_ on this. Two thick legs supported its massive frame, and every inch of it looked better armored than the Atlesian Paladin her team fought back on Remnant. The body itself was this heavily plated… Ruby couldn't think of a better description than "face." Four bright white lights that looked like eyes dotted the left and right sides of the frame, and an almost imperceptible gap ran right down the center. The head hung low between its feet, and the entire thing formed a loosely-shaped "M" with its knees acting as the two peaks. Chatter erupted from everyone all at once when the new threat stepped into the room, and they were all talking to Ruby.

"Uh… No-Scope? What's… what's that?"

"Rubes? Any ideas for how we're taking that thing down?"

"Christ, that fucker's huge."

In addition to Ruby's soldier's all asking for a combination of instructions and explanation, she her commlink lit up with eight different voices.

"Eight-Actual, what's going on down there? You've got a massive heat signature unlike anything we've encountered before."

"Eight, is everything okay in Engineering?"

"Holy shit, we can feel the ground shaking from down here in the labs. What the fuck did Eight walk into?"

Ruby snapped out of her funk when one of her soldiers shouted, "Boss! It looks like it's charging up or something!"

Ruby stopped breathing when she saw that the blue-shirt from Epsilon was right. The behemoth's forehead split open, exposing a very large cannon that began to glow a bright red. Ruby knew enough about doomsday weapons from cheesy action films to recognize one when she saw it, and this particular death ray was aimed at Delta's position up on the catwalk.

"DELTA, CLEAR OUT."

Too late, a beam of light shot out from the robot's artillery piece and struck the metal walkway. Ruby held no small amount of pride in the power of her Pulse Sniper Rifle's beam shot, but it didn't hold a candle to the sheer _power_ and energy that this thing unloaded on Delta. An explosion far more powerful than Yang's rockets easily splintered the catwalk, and the the destructive force sent Delta flying. One soldier screamed as her flaming body fell to the first floor with a sickening crunch. The second body simply couldn't withstand the force of the attack, and Ruby saw it shear in half with blood and gore painting everything nearby. The third was impaled against the jagged rebar ripped open by the robot's unrelenting assault. With a single shot, this thing eliminated an entire fireteam ducking behind cover.

A tidal wave of panic immediately followed, spreading through the remaining fireteams. Ruby heard more than one blue-shirt scream "I'M LOSING CONTROL OF THE SITUATION" as they all scrambled to avoid the new threat's deadly gaze. The Shenbots spun up their Pulser guns to shoot at the construct's back in an effort to take its attention off of the living targets in the room. The monstrosity merely looked at them for three seconds, then continued lumbering further into Engineering while it launched several cluster bombs back at the SHIVs, reducing them to nothing but burning fuel and twisted metal.

Ruby keyed her comm and finally responded to Bradford's desperate pleas for information. "We have a new construct in Engineering. Unidentified, but it took out three soldiers with a single shot. It's big, Central. Like… _really_ big. We need Strike One, and we need them now."

Another voice was on the line before Bradford had the chance to respond, "We're on our way, Eight, and hauling ass as fast as we can. I need you to try and find that thing's weakness, but remember that your life takes priority. That information is no good to us if you're dead before you can relay it."

For the first time since the alien's base assault began, Ruby heard Vance's voice, as calm and cocky as ever. "Hang in there, kiddo. The cavalry's coming, and you can bet your ass we're itching to ice this son of a bitch."

Ruby switched back to the local comm channel and threw protocol to the wind. "Blake, how's Weiss doing?"

"She's stable, but none of us will be fine if that thing-"

"I know, and I need your help with that. You and I have the best mobility here, and we need to distract this thing long enough for Strike One to come and help us put it down."

"Understood. Let's move."

Ruby slung her rifle over her back, knowing that there was little point in trying to chip away at the giant robot with it. Instead, she readied her suit's grappling gun and fired it at a small railing behind her foe. A moment later, she was zipping across the room at high speed past the construct's armored legs. Ruby pulled out her pistol and started taking pot shots at the robot's back to grab its attention. Sure enough, the robot began to stomp around as it rotated to face Ruby. Before it could charge its death ray, Ruby had already lined up her grapple with the catwalk spanning the east and west walls and was once again airborne.

While the robot was turning to re-align itself with Ruby, she spotted a blur of jet black hair race past her vision as Blake gracefully landed at their enemy's feet. If it wasn't happy about Ruby shooting it in the back, it was even more displeased with Blake pulling out a knife and stabbing it in the foot between armored plates. Ruby watched as her friend narrowly avoided an armored kick in the gut as the robot flailed its leg in an effort to squash its latest nuisance. Even though the threat of getting crushed by hardware was not to be taken lightly, Ruby discovered a very important weakness about their target. Try as it might to get an angle on the dancing Scout, Ruby noted that it was never able to look direct at its feet where Blake was weaving in and out.

Without any words spoken between the two, Ruby and Blake formed a makeshift tag team. Blake would zip in, take a few stabs at the feet, then zip out before the robot could retaliate. At the same time, Ruby would grapple to a position behind their assailant and shoot it with her pistol to take the attention off her teammate. Once Ruby had the deathbot's full attention, Blake would jump back in and once again find a good spot to bury her knife.

Blake's luck couldn't last forever, though, and the robot eventually got lucky and manage to graze the nimble faunus with one of its kicks. Even a glancing blow imparted enough kinetic force to send Blake skidding across the floor, and easily within range of the death ray. Before her friend had even stopped sliding, Ruby was in motion. She dropped down from the catwalk and hit the floor hard, but immediately started an all-out sprint to pull her friend out of harm's way. Her heart dropped to her stomach as as she saw the robot's forehead split open, and she felt a low thrum as the cannon began charging. Blake, still dazed from her recent trip across the room, remained completely unaware of just how short her life expectancy had become.

Ruby threw every ounce of energy she had into her legs, desperate to get to her friend in time. Then, as if something had snapped into place within her, she felt her body accelerate to ridiculously impossible speeds. Within a fraction of a second, she reached Blake's slowly recovering form. There wasn't any time to waste, so Ruby simply hooked an arm around Blake's waist as she ran past, forcefully dragging her friend out of the way as the concrete floor cratered behind them. She continued running until she reached a makeshift alcove in the back of the room where she gently put Blake down.

"Blake, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm… how did you…?"

"No idea, but I'm not complaining. Take your time recovering, alright?" Ruby flashed her a devilish grin. "I got this."

Whatever adrenaline had started pumping, whatever 'Electromagentic Field' had begun working, or whatever switch had been flipped, Ruby didn't really care. She was _on_.

The young huntress zipped back to the robot, who's attention began to shift to the blue-shirts in the room. Ruby quickly rectified that by running up the machine's leg and deftly landing on its head. She pulled her pistol off of its maglock, and Ruby unloaded the entire power cell into the top of her target's frame. It didn't matter if the damage was minimal, the attention was back on Ruby and that's what mattered.

"Try and catch THIS, you oaf!"

She jumped off and reloaded her pistol as she fell. On the floor, Ruby sprinted to and fro, firing off shots at the behemoth while it tried (and failed) to track her movement. For one beautiful minute, Ruby outclassed her opponent in every way that mattered. She could _do this_. That thought, however, quickly vanished when her body decided it no longer wanted to move at lightning speeds. Within seconds, Ruby became painfully aware of how tired she had become, as if all the energy surging through her for the last minute instantly vanished. All she could do was collapse to the floor and watch as the robot's forehead split open for the third time. She stared down the face of death itself as the giant cannon charged up for a kill shot.

Ruby heard a crack from the far end of the room and saw a smoke trail zip into the gaping maw of the robot's cannon. The ominous sound of the cannon charging immediately changed to one of it lamely sputtering as it suffered a clear malfunction from the shot. Then, Ruby heard the most beautiful words whose robotic tones were practically music to the young girl's ears.

" _Firing primary weapon._ "

Ruby heard a sound of rolling thunder as the alloy-jacketed metal slug ejected from the MEC trooper's elerium-powered Railgun and she watched the supersonic projectile slam into the exposed hardware beneath the robot's hardened face.

"This is Field Commander Peter Van Doorn ordering all able personnel to fire on One-Seven's target. Light the bastard up."

The smell of burning ozone reached Ruby's nose as the air above her filled with a mixture of Gauss and Pulse weaponry from all the operatives and blue-shirts who simultaneously opened up on the robotic invader. Yang's final rocket soared from above and rocked the machine with its explosive payload. After the wave of destruction, the target was smoking, sparking, and swaying, but still standing.

"One-Twelve, you know what to do."

" _On it_." Came the modulated reply of Strike One's second MEC trooper. The ground shuddered beneath Ruby's legs as One-Twelve charged rumbled forward. In a few short bounds, the cybernetic soldier closed to melee range with her prey before leaping up and bringing both arms down on the charred face of Ruby's would-be killer. The robot collapsed under the sheer force of Twelve's opening assault, but Van Doorn's trooper wasn't finished. Powerless to resist, her opponent could do nothing as Gizmo pried open its faceplate with one hand while she warmed up the Kinetic Strike Module on her other. In one swift motion, several million Newtons of force crushed the robot's unprotected body, and Ruby watched as the entire head exploded.

If the security detail for Engineering gave a loud cheer for Ruby's Cyberdisc kill, the cacophony was outright _deafening_ when the new threat finally went down. As the noise slowly subsided, Ruby felt two firm hands slip underneath her arms and pull her up to her feet. She looked back to see the faces of Major Vance and Colonel Zhang staring back at her, with the former flashing her a big smile.

"Major Vance speaks very highly of you, Lance Corporal Rose," Zhang said. "Now I understand why."

Ruby watched Commander Van Doorn approach from behind the two, stopping short to snap a salute at Ruby, "I know my team stole the glory of victory from you in the end there, but that in no way trivializes the miracle you pulled off in Engineering, Miss Rose. Sounds like you had your fair share of fun during this mess."

He gave Ruby a sly wink before continuing, "Would you do the honors of reporting the good news to Central Officer Bradford?"

Ruby smiled and weakly returned Van Doorn's salute, her strength not yet fully returned, before keying her mic to Bradford's channel.

"Central, this is Eight-Actual. The x-ray has been neutralized, sir."


	13. Damage Control

A/N: Right, so we've got another casual non-combat chapter to help me cool my jets after the insanity of Bring 'Em On. I had tons of fun with that one, and I really look forward to all the upcoming combat I get to write, but it's also nice to have some easier chapters where the characters just talk with each other.

The good news is this: remember when I asked for awesome upgrade suggestions, and you all came out in _massive_ force to flood me with great ideas? Yeah, next chapter is where you'll start to see some of those implemented. Not all at once, but I'll slowly start adding these upgrades as time goes on when Ruby and Shen get the chance to build and field-test them.

* * *

Directly following the firefight in Engineering, Ruby found herself leading one of the sweep teams charged with smoking out alien infiltrators and pockets of resistance from the attack. Ruby expected this, since Van Doorn gave the order for all available teams to assist in the purge. What did surprise her, however, was the willingness of Engineering's blue-shirts to continue following her as Strike Eight left for its assigned section. Not only her friends like Conor, but _all_ uninjured Engineering defense forces, even Timmons, requested permission from Van Doorn to accompany Ruby's team on their patrol of the Satellite Uplinks. A very amused Field Commander granted the request, and watched as Strike Eight left with seven additional soldiers in tow.

As Strike Eight left, Ruby noticed the speed at which XCOM personnel worked to recover from the base assault. Several crews already began clearing the debris from her fight in an effort to regain manufacturing capabilities for Shen's machinists. Before Van Doorn assigned Ruby's squad to sweep the Satellite Uplink Facilities for contacts, she seized a brief opportunity to talk with the Chief Engineer. While several good people from Ruby's fireteams fell in the firefight, it comforted her to know that at least Dr. Shen remained completely unharmed throughout the ordeal. After confirming her friend's safety, Ruby left to run her sweep while Shen supervised the reconstruction effort.

Throughout the entire march towards the Satellite Uplinks, the squad passed by reconstruction crews rushing to and from the sections of the base hit hardest by the alien assault. Some carried scrap metal and debris from the firefights while others hauled equipment for welding, cutting, drilling, and a variety of other constructive processes. Even though it made perfect sense that XCOM needed to return to regular operating levels as soon as possible, the speed at which the base healed itself still impressed Ruby. Within minutes of Strike Eight starting its sweep, the PA system informed the entire base that manufacturing capabilities were restored to fifty percent, thanks to the efforts of Shen's crews.

Ruby also learned later that Dr. Vahlen's scientists immediately set to work examining the smoking behemoth dragged into the autopsy room from Engineering. The 'Sectopod', as the research staff decided to name it, looked to be the ultimate weapon of the alien invaders. Extremely hardened plating, massive plasma cannon, rocket pods that can saturate a target area with high-yield explosives, top-of-the-line targeting sensors… the list of tech the scientists found stuffed into one machine was staggering. It took the machinists a full twenty minutes to just cut off the alloy face plate so that the rest of the team could easily examine the hardware it protected. While the research Vahlen conducted on the Sectopod would almost certainly provide impressive upgrades for XCOM's operatives, the fact remained that the aliens likely planned to continue deploying these harbingers of death until the war was brought to a decisive end.

However, that prospect was Future Ruby's problem. Right now, she had a job to do, and a lot of talkative blue-shirts to do it with.

"Man, that stunt you pulled back there with ol' Metalhead was amazing! I heard rumors that you guys were, like, supersoldiers from back home, but I figured that was just some propaganda shit Bradford cooked up to boost morale."

Ruby continued walking with her eyes looking forward while Conor chattered away at her side. As usual, Blake took point several paces ahead of the squad to maximize the effectiveness of her faunus senses. Ruby would have assigned Weiss to back her up, but the cut she received from the Chryssalid still refused to heal, even with the assistance of Blake's Medkit. So instead, Ruby sent her to the med bay so that Vahlen could have a look at the wound once she was finished with the Sectopod. In her absence, one of the blue-shirts agreed to act as Blake's backup while the Scout 'did her cat thing.' Yang and Ruby brought up the rear with the remaining six soldiers.

"It is pretty awesome," Ruby agreed, "But you saw that it's not without its flaws. Vahlen seems to think that something about Earth is suppressing our abilities, and that only a surge of adrenaline can break through that barrier."

Conor laughed. "Adrenaline, eh? Then all we need to do is force the Commissary to give you unlimited access to cookies, and your blood will be pumping 24/7, right?"

Yang cut in. "Nah, that won't work. Apparently our bodies are such badasses, only extremely dangerous situations will give us enough of an adrenaline hit to break the suppression. That's why you don't see us going nuts with our Aura during every fight."

"Still, it's nice to have an ace-in-the-hole if shit goes south, isn't it?"

"Yup," Yang agreed, "And I'm pretty fired up about Vahlen's promise to solve the suppression problem!"

The chatter continued while Blake used her senses to scan for any contacts lurking within the uplink facilities. After two full sweeps of their assigned section with no incidents, Ruby relayed the news to Bradford.

"Central, this is Strike Eight. Uplinks are clear of contacts."

"Understood, Eight. Vahlen wants to see you down at the med bay. Apparently she's got some news about Lance Corporal Schnee."

"Alright, we're on our way."

* * *

When Ruby entered XCOM's medical facility, her attention immediately snapped to Weiss in a hospital gown sitting on one of the many patient beds in the room. The sight of multiple tubes and wires strung up to her sleeping partner caused Ruby to panic and rush to Weiss's bedside and hug her by the shoulders.

"Oh Weiss," Ruby wailed, "What have they done to you? If I'd known the wound was this bad, I would have never left your side! Now, they've got you hooked up to…" She briefly paused her melodramatic lament to glance at the clear plastic bag hanging next to Weiss. "Saline! I don't even know what it is, but surely it must mean something's gone horribly wrong!"

A hand came up and flicked Ruby square in the forehead. She squeaked in surprise before looking down to see the annoyed face of her friend staring back at her.

"The only thing going horribly wrong," Weiss said, "Is my attempt at getting a little bit of sleep while I wait for Dr. Vahlen. I'm not going to die anytime soon, so _please_ get off me."

Ruby grumbled at Weiss's cold reaction, but obeyed her and jumped off the bed, "What about the injury? It still looked pretty bad after the fight in Engineering."

"It's still bad," Weiss admitted. She grunted as she sat up against her pillow, careful to avoid pulling on any of the wires, "It's not getting worse, but it's not getting better, either. Vahlen was stumped after five minutes of looking at it. She had other matters to attend to, so she instructed one of the orderlies to bandage it and hook me up with some fluids until she's able to come back and conduct a more thorough examination." She looked over Ruby's shoulder and smiled. "Speaking of the Grimm…"

Her three friends turned around to see the Chief Scientist striding quickly towards Weiss's bed. Her usually immaculate hair started to look messy, and she wore a tired expression on her face. Ruby couldn't tell if it was due to a lack of sleep or if she had bad news, but she really hoped it wasn't the latter.

"I have some bad news."

Ruby sighed.

"I've been examining the corpses of various XCOM personnel who suffered Chryssalid-related deaths during this attack. We've had soldiers injured or killed by those horrific creatures in the past, but something is different this time around."

The doctor made her way to Weiss's side and began to unwrap the bandages covering her patient's forearm. Weiss winced a few times when the material tore away from the clotted blood pooled up underneath the bandage. In spite of the pain, she didn't make a sound. Ruby guessed that a combination of her hunter training and her pride as a Schnee kept her from broadcasting her discomfort. When Vahlen finished unraveling the gauze, Ruby took her first clear look at the gash since the fight.

It looked bad.

Ugly scabs began to form at the edges of the open cut, but the main body itself still looked like a gaping sore of exposed flesh and blood. Application of medical technology clearly stopped any pain signals from reaching Weiss's brain, because Ruby couldn't imagine any other explanation for her partner's calm demeanor. The raw meat still looked green, though Ruby noticed that it was roughly the same color as when Weiss first received the wound rather than getting worse.

Dr. Vahlen clicked her tongue. "What's most surprising is the resilience to our standard medical procedures. Recovery always takes a long time while the injury sets, but the visual cues resulting from our treatment should be immediately obvious. In this case… not only did Blake apply a healthy dosage of serum from her Medkit within minutes of the event, but I instructed my medics to administer further treatment when Weiss was brought in. And yet, the wound looks as if we've done nothing."

She reached into a drawer in the bedside table and fished out some latex gloves, tweezers, and a small scalpel. She gave Weiss an apologetic look. "Do you mind if I cut off a small piece? I suspect something is happening on a microscopic level, but I can't be sure until I run some tests on a sample of your tissue."

Weiss nodded without saying a word, and Vahlen maneuvered her knife to gently remove some of the sickly flesh from the open wound. Again, a slight twitch of Weiss's face betrayed the pain she adamantly refused to otherwise show. Once finished, Vahlen deposited the tissue inside a vial and sealed it. She set down the container on the table before kneeling down to have a closer examination of the Chryssalid's handiwork.

"Yes, the usual signs of chemical burns are here. The Chryssalids secrete a toxic venom that covers their talons, which is something we've known since their introduction. Along with the acidic spit of the Thin Men, it is why we added neutralizing agents to our Medkits." Vahlen pulled out a cotton swab from her pocket and dabbed at the wound. A mixture of venom and puss stuck to the cotton as she pulled it away. The doctors eyebrows rose once she saw the cotton begin to decompose after coming into contact with the venom. She reached for the discarded gauze wrap and spread it out on the bed. Just like the cotton swab, Vahlen found a small hole in the wrap where the toxin ate away at the material.

"… Perhaps the medical treatment is helping after all. It may not have neutralized the toxin completely, but it appears that the chemical has become more corrosive than it was in previous encounters with these creatures. I definitely need to have a look at that tissue sample now, since the current cocktail of medical antitoxins is clearly not tuned to efficiently counter the new composition. If you'll excuse me, I must get to the lab as soon as possible to work on this." She gave Weiss a warm smile. "I am confident that I will have your wound healed up quickly. In the meantime, I would like you to stay in the medical ward where my staff can monitor your condition."

Weiss nodded. "Of course, doctor. I wouldn't want to run around with this ugly gash showing, anyway."

The Chief Scientist chuckled, then glanced at the gauze strewn at the base of Weiss's bed. "We'll also leave the wrapping off for now. In light of this recent development, think it would do more harm than good to re-apply it." She bid farewell to the other three huntresses and left the room. Ruby turned her attention back to Weiss, who returned to a prone position on her bed.

"Do you want us to keep you company, Weiss?"

Her partner, eyes already closed, shook her head. "I'm pretty beat after all the excitement from Engineering, so sleep sounds wonderful right now. You can probably see what Shen's up to. I know you want to, and I bet the initial rush has died down enough to the point where he's not too busy to chat."

Ruby made a mental note to buy Weiss some ice cream before turning to Blake and Yang, "What about you guys?"

Her sister shrugged, "Your visits with Shen always devolve into nerd talk, so I'll find other ways to make myself useful." Yang flexed her arms and gave Ruby a cocky grin, "I bet the guys on cleanup duty could get some use out of these guns."

"I'm thinking of watching Dr. Vahlen," Blake replied, "Now that the infiltrator sweeps are finished, there isn't really much use for my talents in the recovery efforts. Maybe I can help the doctor in some way."

Ruby nodded, "Sounds good. I'll see you guys later, then." She turned to give a final goodbye to Weiss, but the gentle rise and fall of her chest told Ruby that her friend already fell asleep.

* * *

Weiss was right about Dr. Shen earning some breathing room after the first hectic hour following the base assault. Ruby found the Chief Engineer in his office, eyes closed with a steaming mug of tea (Jasmine: Blake's newfound addiction meant that her friends quickly learned to recognize the smell) sitting on the table in front of him. A quiet knock at the door elicited the response of one eye cracking open to see who dared to intrude on his moment of peace. Of course, catching sight of Ruby and not some machinist made Dr. Shen much more receptive to the interruption.

"Ah, the hero of the hour. How may I be of assistance, Lance Corporal Ruby 'No Scope' Rose?"

Ruby let out a nervous laugh, "That's almost like a parent using a kid's full name, and the only time my dad ever used my full name was when I got into trouble."

Dr. Shen sat up with a chuckle, "No, no, I can assure you that you're not in trouble. Just pointing out that you might find yourself commanding a considerable amount of respect from the base personnel after word gets out of your actions down here." He winked, "With great power comes great responsibility. A quote from a comic book, but one that I feel to be relevant all the same. In any case, how may I help you?"

"Actually, I was wondering if there was anything I could do to help _you_. You're all busy down here, and I'm all done shooting aliens, so I just wanted to see if I could do something useful around here."

Shen raised an eyebrow, "You… do realize that you already did more than enough by repelling the attack in the first place, right? I won't say no to more assistance, but you've certainly pulled your own weight during tonight's events. Which reminds me," he added as an afterthought, "How's Miss Schnee? I heard she had a nasty tangle with a lucky Chryssalid."

"Yeah, I actually just came here from the med bay. Vahlen thinks that the aliens have done something to make the Chryssalid's toxins even more dangerous. Her cut isn't healing with the current standard treatment. We won't know for sure until after the doctor runs some tests on a sample of Weiss's tissue, but…" Ruby cast a worried glance at Shen, "It almost sounds like they're evolving or adapting."

The aging engineer nodded, "It does sound that way. However, I am not worried. You said yourself that Dr. Vahlen is running some tests on the new toxin, yes? I have the utmost confidence in my colleague, and when she finds out the chemical makeup of this new acid, I have no doubt in her ability to design a reagent to counteract it." He took a sip of his tea and let out a pensive hum, "It's interesting, though… this new-and-improved Chryssalid toxin coupled with the introduction of the new alien secret weapon… they're certainly stepping up their game in this war, wouldn't you say?"

Of all reactions to a comment about a deadly invasion force using new and deadlier tools to kill them, Ruby expected amusement the least, "Why does it sound like you're not bothered by this?"

A smile played across Shen's lips, "Because although the aliens are adapting and developing new methods of warfare, so are we. I have four reasons to believe the aliens are _not_ outclassing us in this arms race, and one of them is standing right in front of me."

Ruby paused for a short moment, glanced past her shoulder, then realized the intent behind Shen's comment, "Us? But, what about us? Sure, we make a good team, but you've got lots of those already. I mean, look at Strike One. Van Doorn has done amazing work with XCOM's top operatives, forming them into a formidable enemy for your invaders. What makes you think my friends are any better than that?"

Dr. Shen smiled again before responding, "Three things, Ruby. First, your technology." He gestured towards the partially disassembled Crescent Rose sitting on a counter in the back of the room. "With your help, we'll have new equipment for our operatives that should prove extremely potent on the field of battle. Second, your biology." In one fluid motion, he picked up a paperweight off his desk and hurled it at Ruby. Without even thinking, she snatched it out of the air with her hand. "You have better reflexes, better strength, better skeletal structure… better everything, really. You wouldn't believe how excited Dr. Vahlen was when you and your friends agreed to lend your superior genetics to her soldier modification program."

"And finally…" Shen stood up, walked over to Ruby, and poked her chest. "Your spirit. This war is not only fought with explosives and lasers, but also with willpower and morale. While your superior weapons and incredible physiology are certainly impressive, what matters most is your willingness to fight for us. You come out of nowhere and have no obligation to help our struggle. Despite this, it didn't even take a full day before you decided to join XCOM as operatives and do everything in your power to push back against our invaders. Even when you discovered that you lost huge aspect of your fighting potential, you learned to fight _our_ way."

Shen walked to the front window of his office and looked out, "We may look like a well-run machine here, and that is certainly true. However, that machine is still composed of humans at its most basic level, and the human psyche is very vulnerable. Get a string of flawless missions, and morale hits an all-time high with everyone doing their part to assist the war effort. At the same time, lose a lot of good soldiers in a matter of days, and productivity tanks." He turned around and Ruby noticed a curious look on his face, "Get a kid that puts her life on the line to save the blue-shirts under her command… that's a valuable asset that I can't build on an assembly line."

Silence fell over the two of them as Ruby chewed on Shen's words. Did he really think so highly of her actions? All she did was orchestrate the defense of Engineering. Any other operative could (and would) have done the same, she just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Add to that the fact that she didn't have a flawless record of saving lives: she could now add Fireteam Delta to the list of losses under her command which previously consisted of only Corporal Biggs. Why would they follow her after that kind of track record?

"Because of your actions, Ruby," said Shen, as if he could read her mind. "When you get the chance, you should ask our Field Commander how many operatives died following his lead. You know of at least two, and I can tell you that there are definitely more. In spite of that, the squads he leads are completely devoted to him and follow his orders without question. Do you know why?"

Ruby shook her head.

"Because he leads by example. You don't see him giving orders to charge the enemy from the safety of the rear. He's always in the thick of things, risking his life just as much as anyone else on his team. Tell me, when that hulk of alloyed metal … I believe 'Sectopod' is the name coined by Vahlen's staff… when that Sectopod stepped through those doors into Engineering, who was the one that took decisive action and risked her life to distract it long enough for Strike One to arrive? Certainly not any of the security detail. Even after witnessing the destructive force it wielded, and even after watching how easily it annihilated my SHIVs and an entire fireteam, your first thought was to jump in and find a way to avoid further bloodshed." He walked back to Ruby and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Everyone makes mistakes, Ruby. People die from unforeseen consequences, and everyone here can accept that. What makes a leader special, what makes them worth following, is how greatly they value the lives of every man and woman on their squad."

Shen's words left Ruby in shock. A motivational speech was something she expected from Bradford or Van Doorn, but from the Chief Engineer? She didn't know how much she agreed with his logic, but she couldn't deny the conviction she saw in his eyes when he said his piece. Regardless of the accuracy of his words, Dr. Shen most definitely believed in Ruby, and that meant a great deal to her.

"Well, it sounds like you think I have your third point pretty well in hand. Let's work on getting XCOM equipped with better tech. The aliens have stepped up their game, so I think it's high time we stepped up ours."

A subtle grin played across Dr. Shen's face, "I couldn't agree more, Miss Rose."

* * *

"… Jaune? Are you sure this is a good idea?"

The youngest Arc could hear the heavy worry in Pyrrha's question, and it only made him more determined. If something as mild as this caused her to fear for his safety, how could he expect her to trust his competence in a truly dangerous situation?

"I'll be fine, I promise," He assured her, "Besides, even if I screw up really badly on this, that's what Aura's for, right?"

His partner sighed, "I suppose so. Just… focus on defending yourself, okay?"

"Good thing that's the whole point of this exercise," Jaune replied with a reassuring smile. He turned to the figure standing across from him, reflecting on the fact that, for the first time since he started these rooftop exercises, someone other than Pyrrha gazed back at him.

He knew full well of his best friend's determination to transform him from stupid, clumsy Jaune into badass Hunter Jaune, but even The Invincible Girl had her limits. Jaune didn't doubt for a second that she was an incredible instructor, the best he could hope for, but she still didn't fully trust his abilities. She'd kick his ass while training, sure, but she always held back just a little bit. While her methods helped Jaune grow by giving him the chance to succeed, there was still something to be said about learning how to make the most of a horribly lopsided battle.

Even during the few instances when her lesson plan involved the two of them sparring while Pyrrha pulled out all the stops, she still maintained her controlled and precise style. She gave Jaune no quarter, but the fight seemed to focus more on her giving him a glimpse of what she believed he could become rather than a lesson in futility. What Jaune wanted was to square off against raw, unfiltered power. He needed to face down a veritable force of nature and determine if he had the ability to survive. He knew Pyrrha could not and would not offer that kind of lesson; she always held back too much for it to be a real test.

As for why he wanted to get a taste for utterly crushing defeat, the answer was simple. The longer he spent at Beacon Academy, the more Jaune figured out the one thing he could do really well: standing back up after getting knocked down. He knew that his academic aptitude left a lot to be desired, and he was certainly not the best fighter in his grade at Beacon, but he could take a hit. And while Pyrrha's lessons did wonders to shore up his weaknesses, he also wanted to test the limits of his strengths. No, he _needed_ to know how far he could push his stamina.

His teammates all had their roles, and they fit them well: Pyrrha with her finesse to lock down any foe; Ren with his Aura control to provide flexibility and support; and Nora with her crushing strength to land the killing blow. Jaune saw himself as the team's defender, ready and willing to step between any of his teammates and imminent harm. Before any of them could trust him with this, however, he needed to find his limit. Once he found it, he needed to smash it and work towards becoming the best damned tank any team could ask for.

Tonight marked the first step towards achieving that goal.

"Alright Nora, hit me with your best shot."


	14. Future Combat

A/N: Right, so now I finally get to have some fun integrating some of the crazy ideas you guys gave me a month ago for tech upgrades. Hopefully you all enjoy what I've done with them. Just a reminder, there's plenty more that I haven't included yet. It'd be pretty insane (and probably terrible) if I attempted to cram every single idea into one chapter. So there's more to look forward to in the future.

* * *

"Contacts. Mixed pack of Mutons and Berserkers."

Blake's teammates remained in cover while the Scout relayed data from her Battlescanner's readout to Ruby. Several new faces stood with the core of Strike Eight against the Mutons: Colonel Zhang as Eight-Six; 'Combo,' a Medic, as Eight-Seven; 'Vulcan,' the first MEC under Ruby's command, as Eight-Eight; and 'Desperado,' an Infantryman, rounded out the squad as Eight-Nine. Ruby felt a little nervous leading a squad with so many people, especially since they _all_ outranked her, but the suggestion came from Van Doorn himself. Ruby couldn't think of a justifiable reason for turning down the Field Commander.

"Numbers?" Ruby responded.

"Twelve, five of them are 'Zerkers."

By Van Doorn's reasoning, Ruby provided crucial assistance for Dr. Shen's to efforts get the new weapon designs finalized, manufactured, and implemented. Because the new hardware was a product of her efforts as much as the Chief Engineer's, Van Doorn felt it only fair that Ruby's squad got the honor of leading the field test as they assaulted a recently downed UFO. If Ruby wasn't already flattered by that point, Colonel Zhang then volunteered himself to join Strike Eight's field test under Ruby's command.

"Understood. Vahlen asked us to bag a Berserker, so we need to leave one of them alive. Nine, use your new gene mod to set up in a nice flanking position, but hold your fire. Four, lead off with a shredder rocket. Load up an HE after and keep it hot as a Plan B. Two, you hang back with the squad and take down the Berserkers when they come charging. Three, I want prioritized Holo Targetting up on the shooters: you mark one so that Five and I can kill it. Six, I want you to get the attention of the Berserkers so that Two can take care of the first four. You've got a new toy, so use it to bat your last friend over to Two. Seven, be ready for anything. You can join us in taking out the target Three has tagged, but keep an eye out if someone needs help. Eight, the moment Four's rocket hits, I want you to bring the number of Mutons down from seven to six. Nine, use your flank to join the firefight once the mayhem starts, but leave the Berserkers alone. Everyone clear?"

"Crystal."

"Yes."

"Yep!"

"Absolutely."

"Understood."

"Aye aye."

" _Ready to engage._ "

"Hell yeah."

The squad silently moved into cover while Desperado faded from view and the Jaeger MEC prepared to field test her new gun. Ruby watched the battlesuit deploy its stability anchors into the ground and Vulcan flipped a switch on her Railgun. The standard MEC firearm hummed to life, its components shifting and extending until Vulcan had to rest it on the heavy-duty bipod that extended from the barrel's underside. Then, the MEC trooper locked the weapon's stock to her shoulder, and Ruby heard the sound of power flowing from the latter into the former. In five short seconds, the stocky Railgun had transformed into a long Mass Accelerator Cannon.

"Remember, Eight: you get one shot before that thing needs to vent. Don't miss."

" _Understood,_ " Vulcan replied, " _Ready to fire main weapon._ "

"Four? You're up."

"Almost set, Boss, just have to perform these last rites that the guys taught me a few days ago." Ruby saw that Yang already deployed the new defensive shielding plates on her launcher, so she wasn't exactly sure what her sister meant. That is, until Yang began to speak in a low whisper.

"This is my BFG. There are many like it, but this one is mine."

"… Yang?"

"My BFG is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life."

"This is Conor's work, isn't it?"

"My BFG, without me, is useless. Without my BFG, I am useless. I must fire my BFG true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will."

Ruby was about to ask Yang one more time what she was going on about, but she finished with… whatever that was and pulled the trigger before Ruby could say anything. Her Shredder Rocket streaked towards the pod of Mutons, and the familiar orange and yellow plume rose from the point of contact. Shrapnel shot out from the tightly-packed warhead, ripping off sections of the armor worn by the aliens and embedding chunks of alloyed metal into their exposed flesh.

Before the flames vanished, Ruby felt a _whump_ deep within her chest and watched as two of the Mutons exploded from the gut.

" _Targets eliminated._ "

Zhang's Autoblaster spun to life and he swept his stream of laser fire across the five Berserkers while the rest of the squad advanced to better firing positions. The heavy armor worn by the muscled Berserkers stopped most of Zhang's shots, but a few started to burn through and strike at the enemies within. The aliens roared in pain and lumbered towards Zhang's position, even as his sustained fire continued to scorch their armor.

Keeping their heads ducked low to avoid further casualties, the surviving Mutons dashed for cover behind a rock formation and did their best to stay out of harm's way. The moment one peeked out from cover to gauge the opposition, Blake tagged it with her pulse rifle. Immediately, the other operatives locked onto one of the alien as Blake's Holo Targeting tracked its position for her squad. Ruby, safely out of the enemy squad's visual range, took time to line up a perfect shot. She wanted to get a clean kill with one pull of the trigger, so precision was paramount. Ordinarily, she would ask for one of her squadmates to call out the target location for her, but Blake's mod did the job just fine. She felt the cool steel of the trigger against her finger as she gently pulled back and let the recoil push the rifle's stock into her shoulder. A bright orange beam shot out from the muzzle and slammed into the Muton's forehead just as it stepped out to fire off a volley of plasma. With a pained roar, it crumpled to the earth, lifeless and bloody.

The remaining four let out an enraged cry, beating their chests and glaring at the squad of XCOM operatives. Even though they weren't much of a threat, the call still sent chills down Ruby's spine.

"Stay cool, everyone," Combo assured, "It's just grandstanding. We've got 'em on the ropes."

"Here comes the football team," Vance called out. Ruby looked over to see the squad of Berserkers racing towards Strike Eight's position.

"Three, switch priorities to the melee targets. Six, try to suppress the Mutons to keep them off our backs while we deal with the Berserkers." She keyed her commlink to contact Desperado. "Nine, if the Mutons try anything funny while we're handling the Berserkers, make them regret it.

The two soldiers gave Ruby an 'Aye aye, sir' before Combo readied his rifle and spit out a stream of pulse fire at the hiding Mutons. "Four, it's time for that second rocket. I think our guests can handle it."

Yang took aim with her launcher. "This is my BFG-"

" _Yang._ "

"Right. Sorry, boss." The launcher discharged its payload with a _whoosh_ , and the ground erupted beneath the Berserkers' feet. The explosive force flung the aliens into the air, but Ruby watched them tuck into a roll upon impact. As agile as any Hunter, the Berserkers continued their charge with almost no loss in momentum. Still, Ruby could see Yang's handiwork in the form of burned plating and ripped flesh flapping uselessly against their arms as the Berserkers blitzed the entrenched operatives.

Weiss's Scatter Blaster tore through the first Berserker's already weakened body armor and plastered its burning blood and intestines on a nearby tree. The other Berserkers paid no mind to Weiss as they continued to charge down Zhang, their blood rage giving them an extreme case of tunnel vision. With a sharp yank on her shotgun's pump action, Ruby's partner lined up a shot at the retreating back of the last Berserker and fired. The blast connected, but the alien only stumbled for a few steps before it continued charging with its three brothers.

"Second target is still up." Weiss warned Ruby.

"Zhang, get ready for Hammertime. We'll handle the leftovers."

Ruby yelped when her cover was struck by plasma, and burning wood splintered inches from her face. One of the shots managed to hit her armor, and the heated projectile left a scored mark where the protective plating did it's job. She looked over at the Mutons just in time to see her attacker duck back into safety. She looked over at the team's Medic, who she assigned to suppression duty, to see him in the process of reloading his gun.

"Combo, you had one job…"

"There's four of them and only one of me, boss," he retorted, "You should try suppressing four of these assholes at once and let me know how that goes for you."

"Nine, would you mind lending Seven a hand?"

Ruby watched her eighth squadmate appear out of nowhere behind a tree, ready his rifle, and spit out a volley of pulse fire at the unsuspecting Mutons. She saw some blood go flying and heard the familiar sound of a Muton screaming before green bolts of plasma peppered Desperado's position.

"Seven, some smoke for our friend please…"

The Muton situation well in hand, She returned her attention to the Berserkers. With a loud _crack_ of his rifle, Vance brought down one of the four runners, while another fell to Weiss's third attack. Two left, and Ruby knew they'd reached Zhang before another could be brought down by gunfire.

"Three…"

Blake understood without needing Ruby to finish her order. With a flick of her wrist, a bayonet flipped out and extended from beneath the barrel of Blake's gun. It locked into place with a click, and began to glow an incandescent red as the rifle's venting re-routed to diffuse its stored heat through the blade. She dashed towards the Berserker lagging behind and swiped its leg with her new melee weapon. It bit into the alien's armored hamstring; the Berserker roared in pain at the surprise attack. Before it could impale Blake with a clawed gauntlet, she ripped her bayonet free and danced away to a safe distance. She could take her time with her foe: the Berserker gave Blake, not Zhang, its full attention, and that's what mattered.

Colonel Zhang readied himself to deal with the final charging Berserker. The moment Ruby gave him the order, Eight-Six started the weapon shift of his Light Machine Gun with practiced skill. Most of the weapon's mass shifted forward towards the end of the barrel while the section of the gun he held slimmed down significantly. Seconds after he initiated the change, Zhang held a large hammer in his hands. Before the Berserker reached its target, Ruby took aim and shot its knee. When the alien turned in surprise at the new threat, the Colonel leapt forward and swung his new armament in a wide arc. The servos in his Titan Armor whined in protest as Zhang's high-velocity strike connected with the Berserker squarely in the ribs.

Weiss watched the mass of flesh, bone, and rage sail through the air like a sack of bricks before slamming back down into the earth several feet away from her position. With the flip of a switch, she felt the internals of her Scatter Blaster disconnect from the usual power source and while the attached drum magazine rotated ninety degrees. The typical red glow of her shotgun faded while a dynamic white light replaced it once the internal circuits reconnected with the drum's new ammunition. She pointed her shotgun at the now-standing Berserker and fired. Electric tendrils snaked out from the end of her weapon and struck the alien square in the chest. With the impressive increase in voltage capacity of Dr. Shen's new shotgun-based Arc Thrower, the Berserker's nervous system overloaded from the shock and the brute dropped unceremoniously to the dirt.

A loud cry marked the end of the final Muton, punctuated with an exuberant "Fuck yeah!" from Desperado. Only Blake's Berserker remained to be dealt with, and that problem would soon-

The whole squad, save for Blake, looked up when they heard the sound of twisted metal emanating from the UFO. A pair of Mechtoids burst through the aircraft's wall and came skidding to a stop once they cleared the smoke and debris. Ruby saw the tell-tale strands of psionic energy indicating active Psi Shields present on both walkers. The beady eyes of the Sectoid pilots swept the battlefield, and they locked onto the one soldier who couldn't afford to pay attention to them.

Ruby's blood turned to ice when the Mechtoids lined up their Plasma Cannons and the sound of charging capacitors reached her ears. A snarl from her right drew Ruby's attention to a dashing Zhang. The force of Zhang's hammer strike threw the dueling Berserker like a ragdoll, and the Colonel reached Blake in a few swift bounds. He swung around to place himself between the new contacts and Blake before interlocking plates of alloyed steel sprang open from the arm of his Titan armor. He pulled Blake into a crouch and slammed his new shield into the dirt just as the Mechtoids discharged their scorching volley of plasma.

Zhang's shield glowed red-hot as it took the brunt of the assault. Blake watched him clench his teeth, evidently feeling some of the heat bleed through the armor and to his outstretched arm. The cannon volley lasted only a few scant seconds, but it lasted an eternity for Blake. Every ball of plasma that struck Zhang was a reminder to the faunus that her inattentiveness was the cause of his suffering. As the assault continued, Blake could see the underside of the shield start to blacken at several points where the burning energy began to slowly bleed through.

When the cacophonous sounds of the Plasma Cannons ceased, a deep-seated blast reverberated through the earth as Vulcan's Mass Accelerator Cannon hurled its solid projectile at one of the Mechtoids. The round slammed into its target's leg, shearing the limb cleanly in half and sending the robotic alien tumbling to the ground. Ruby pulled out her laser pistol and beamed the newly incapacitated Berserker's head several times to make sure it stayed dead before giving the new aliens her undivided attention.

"I want everyone focusing on the crippled Mechtoid! Four, think you can send a rocket through the hole they came out of? The merged Sectoids are probably hiding in there, and we need those psi shields down."

"Don't _mind_ if I do!"

So long as Yang skipped the stupid BFG chant, Ruby could forgive her for the terrible pun. Blake and Zhang, already recovered from the Mechtoid barrage, took up positions with the rest of the squad. Blake chucked a Battlescanner through the smoking hull of the UFO and brought up her information readout.

"Two Sectoids are taking cover just on the other side of that hole," she informed Yang, "So don't aim too far into the room."

Yang's rocket shot out of the tube, streaked past the two Mechtoids, and exploded with a muted _crump_ inside the ship. Almost instantly, the Sectoid pilots recoiled from the psychic whiplash, and their purple shielding vanished.

"Hit it!"

Blake shot first, painting a target on the crippled Mech for the rest of the squad. The HEAT ammo from Zhang's Autoblaster (now returned to its LMG state) burned holes through the alien's metal skin as he hosed it down with pulse fire. Vance lined up a shot with the still-standing Mechtoid's Plasma Cannon and fired a shot that struck the armament's cooling core. It would be a while longer before the pilot could retaliate, and its friend was flailing rather helplessly as it tried to cope with the loss of its leg.

"Two." Just like Blake, Weiss only needed that one word to know what Ruby wanted.

"Going in for the kill."

Weiss dashed forward, completely ignoring cover as she advanced on the alien threats. She waited for Strike Eight's flood of pulse fire to cease before sprinting the last few yards separating her from the fumbling pilot. Weiss toggled her shotgun, and the drum magazine rotated again until it linked to her reserve of Breaching Ammo. A quick pull of the pump action secured the connection. With a step, she vaulted off of a rock and began to sail over the alien's body. At the apex of her leap, Weiss aimed the business end of her weapon at the Mechtoid's chest and fired.

With no Psi Shield to protect the construct, Weiss's special ammunition tore through the metallic skin and obliterated the robot's critical functions. The Sectoid screamed in pain, likely due to biofeedback built into the mech's systems. The pilot could do nothing but watch in terror as its executioner gracefully landed next to its exposed face, casually cocked her shotgun one more time, and fired point-blank. With practiced ease, Weiss danced away from the machinery as it engaged its self-destruct protocol, safely dodging the resultant explosion. Her job done, the Assault slid behind cover to avoid retaliation from the second Mechtoid.

"Eight, how long until you can take another shot?"

" _Fifteen seconds, Actual._ " Vulcan replied.

Ruby quickly formed a plan in her mind. "Seven, I want acid on the mech. Six, lock it down with suppression. Eight, if it's not dead by the time your MAC is ready to fire, finish the job. Everybody else: fire at will."

Ruby briefly heard Yang ask, "What, we're giving the aliens names now?" before the torrent of pulse fire drowned her out. The cloud of acid from Combo's chem grenade momentarily made it difficult to see the target, but Blake reminded everyone once again just how invaluable her Holo Targetting could be. High-powered shots from the two Snipers bit into the Mechtoid's armor while the alien cowered from Zhang's withering assault. Yang's last rocket streaked past the pulse fire and hit the robot square in the chest, causing the mech to stagger back from the explosive force. In a matter of seconds, the combined firepower of Strike Eight reduced the dangerous robot into a swaying hunk of metal on the verge of death. Once more, a powerful hum manifested in Ruby's ears before her chest shuddered from the shockwaves caused by Vulcan firing his gun. The heavy duty slug punched a gaping hole clean through the Mechtoid, leaving empty space where the pilot's head used to be.

Silence fell upon the battleground until Yang decided to break it. "Well, uh… that was… yeah… that was pretty much a slaughter." She kicked the paralyzed Berserker at her feet. "Almost makes you feel bad for these guys."

Ruby shrugged. "Bradford specifically picked a lighter operation for the field test. It would be pretty bad if we faced a heavier force and none of the new tech worked. Let's finish off with a sweep of the UFO and then head back to base with the good news."

* * *

The ruckus coming from the lounge aptly conveyed the high spirits of everyone within. Word of Strike Eight's successful field test traveled quickly around the base, and it seemed like all of XCOM wanted to stop by the bar to offer their congratulations. For many, 'congratulations' translated into 'free round of alcohol for the heroes of Strike Eight,' something both Yang and Vance happily accepted on behalf of the team. Weiss, surprisingly, decided to join them, and she looked determined to keep up with Yang no matter what. To almost everyone's amazement, RWBY's resident Ice Queen actually had an impressive tolerance for hard liquor. Yang, however, was more amused by the fact that her friend became extremely loud and moderately obnoxious when drunk.

"I SWEAR TO WHATEVER GOD IS LISTENING, THE NEXT PERSON WHO CALLS ME ICE QUEEN WILL BE GETTING THEIR FACE SMASHED." Weiss leapt up onto her seat and firmly planted one foot on the table. One hand on her hip and the other forming a fist over her heart completed the drunk huntress's image of a stoic and courageous figure. "I AM NOT THE ICE QUEEN. I AM ELSA, GRACEFUL AND BENEVOLENT RULER OF ARENDELLE." She took the fist on her chest and used it to make a sweeping gesture across the room. "AND YOU ARE ALL MY ADORING PEASANTS."

"In the absence of our fearless leader's capacity to do so, I am hereby banning you from further 'Frozen nights with Dr. Vahlen' on Ruby's behalf."

Weiss looked down in horror at the serene figure of Blake. With nobody else willing to do so, the Scout had appointed herself as the 'designated sober friend' and contented herself with nothing more than a single pint of beer for the entire evening. She didn't even look up from the book in her hand before giving Weiss a firm nudge to the leg. That was all it took to throw her friend off balance and force her to drop back down to her seat.

Ruby herself sat across from Colonel Zhang a few tables over. While her friends (except for Blake) were busy getting hammered under the 'watchful' eye of Major Vance, Ruby wanted to thank Zhang for protecting Blake during the field test. The enigmatic officer agreed, and Ruby decided she wanted to learn more about the Colonel. He was frustratingly evasive in his answers to her questions, but Ruby saw a hint of enjoyment twinkling in his eye. Perhaps he simply decided to make a game out of it, but that only made Ruby all the more determined to learn _something_ interesting about him beyond the definition of his nickname 'Chilong.' Ten minutes later, and the young leader of RWBY found herself downing her fifth (or fifteenth?) shot of… she didn't know what, but Zhang assured her that it was 'superior to whatever swill Vance ordered for Ruby's friends.' An amused Colonel Zhang watched as the young Sniper struggle to form coherent words, her original objective of questioning him all but abandoned.

"Y'know… _hic_ … you'd make a fffffffanTASTIC Hunter, mister co-low-nole… ker-lo-neal…?"

"Colonel," Zhang corrected.

"Rrrright. Mister Colonel… _hic_ … Zhang. I watched… I watched 'chu with that 'zerker, 'n how you h'whacked it with that… big ol' hammer you got. BOOM," Ruby giggled as she used her arms to mime an explosion, "You ran sssssssoooooo fast to save lil' Blakey… _hic_ … th'way you just pulled out your Tac… Tacticul Ablaaaaaytive Armor… heh, that sounds funny… the Tacticul… you just… _hic_ … dropped it into the dirt and shielded Blake from that… that MEAN Mechtoid." She paused to swirl the liquor in her glass and stare at it pensively. "Y'were so faaaaaaast."

The Colonel cracked a small smile. Unfortunately for Ruby, she she missed the monumental event in her drunken haze, "You do realize, Sergeant Rose, that I'm one of Vahlen's test subjects for her new brand of Remnant Physiology genetic modifications. That speed likely came from your DNA."

Ruby waved a hand dismissively. "Stop… stop… those big words hurt m'head. B'sides… _hic_ … Dun matter how y'did it. Th'important bit is _why_."

The young Huntress reached over the table and made an effort to poke Zhang in the chest. She missed and stabbed the air next to him. She tried again, and missed again. She managed to poke his stomach on the third attempt, which she decided was good enough. "Y've got heart, Colonel… Some people're prolly in XCOM just to… to get their murder on, y'know? You can act… _hic_ … silent 'n tough all you want, talk about how… how killin' an alien is 'not s'different from killin' a man.'… But… that was… _hic_ … a noble thing you did. Whatever else y'say about it… that right there's… _hic_ … that's th' truth." Ruby looked up, smiled, and waved at the figure approaching from behind Zhang.

"Oh, HI Mister Bradfuuuuurd. Howsitgoin?"

"Good evening, Sergeant Rose…" Bradford looked down at Zhang. "How much alcohol did you let her have, Colonel?"

Zhang shrugged. "As much as she wanted. The young woman responsible for giving us such an incredible technological advantage in this war deserves to enjoy her first experience with getting black-out-drunk. I am simply here to keep her company and ensure her safety."

"Ah…" Bradford responded, casting a glance over at the other table where everyone was cheering on Vulcan as she played a game of Five-Finger Fillet. "Well, I was hoping to speak with the Sergeant, but maybe I should try again tomorrow." He looked down to see Ruby's head buried in her arms on the table, her shoulders slowly rising and falling. "Wow, that didn't take long at all." He gave Zhang one last glance before turning to leave. "See to it that she gets to the barracks safely with the rest of her squad, Colonel."

Zhang nodded respectfully at the Central Officer. "Of course, sir."

* * *

Ruby and her friends slowly made their way to Mission Control, each step still carrying small waves of pain as they hit her eardrums. Ruby had no idea how she made it to her bed last night, but whoever left a glass of water, some pills, and a note saying 'swallow these' definitely had personal experience with getting wasted. She decided that she would leave excessive drinking to Yang the next time they all went out: the infamous 'morning after' _sucked_. Eventually, Blake came into the barracks (how she managed to be up and doing things at 3 pm confounded Ruby) and informed the other three that Bradford wanted all four of them to report ASAP. Despite the moans and complains from the other three, their extra hours of rest made the process of waking up and looking presentable not terribly difficult.

The team of four entered XCOM's information hub and found Bradford standing on his usual podium while staring at the hologlobe. Ruby noticed long ago that Bradford did this a lot. She didn't know if it was sort of a zen thing for him, or if he actually needed to be spending that much time examining the strategic layer of XCOM's mission, but Ruby decided it was something better left alone. The Central Officer noticed Ruby's team and stepped off his podium to greet them.

"Thank you for coming, there are a few things I would like to discuss with you."

Even through the lingering vestiges of Ruby's alcoholic haze, Bradford's statement made her curious. "Sir?"

"First thing's first, the field test. Major Vance already submitted a report detailing the events of the UFO assault, so I have a pretty clear idea on just how effective your little projects are, Sergeant Rose. You and I agreed to only bring a small fraction of the new tech on the test run, and all of it worked perfectly."

A hint of a blush crossed Ruby's cheeks in response to Bradford's high praise. "Well, Dr. Shen is amazing to work with. I know a lot of the theory behind Remnant's technology, but it would have been impossible to make anything without his skill and intuition. Besides, there was some tech we brought along that didn't have an opportunity to see use during the op."

Bradford chuckled. "Don't sell yourself short, Ruby. I didn't want to admit it out loud, but we were starting to fall behind the aliens in the ever-present arms race that defines this war. Your efforts have given us a significant boost, likely pushing us well beyond what the invaders themselves posses. Sure, they still outmatch us in terms of raw firepower, but versatility has always been our strong suit." He gave Ruby a warm smile. "And you just made it a hell of a lot stronger. I would say that our field test can be marked off as a resounding success. Effective immediately, I am authorizing Dr. Shen to commence production of the new tech you two cooked up. At oh-eight-hundred tomorrow, I'm having a meeting with all the Strike leaders, which of course includes you. There, we will discuss all the designs and prototypes you have developed, and then agree upon which hardware has priority in getting rolled out sooner."

"Oh… wow. Uh…" Ruby rubbed the back of her head and let out a nervous laugh. "Do you need me to put together some sort of presentation…?"

"No need. I've already discussed this meeting with Dr. Shen, who will also be present, and he agreed to collate the data and information himself. All you need to do is show up and contribute to the discussion."

"Of course. Thank you, sir. This is… well, to be honest, I've never had my work congratulated like this before."

"Which I find surprising," Weiss cut in, "Considering how much time you spend with your toys. Sure, I've seen hunters with some pretty fancy weaponry, but nothing holds a candle to Crescent Rose." She casually checked her nails, as if to hide her appreciation for Ruby behind a mask of apathy. "Quite frankly, I blame it on Vale. If you lived in Atlas, you definitely would have been noticed by our weaponsmiths for your talent."

"Sergeant Schnee, while I agree that Rose's work is nothing short of genius, perhaps you should remind yourself that our mutual friend has a debilitating weakness to too much praise…" The two of them looked over at Ruby, her eyes glazed over and her body swaying gently as it tried to remain upright without the help of her mental functions. They watched her in silence before Yang poked the back of her head.

"C'mon Rubes, focus up here! The Boss is trying to say something important!"

"Wha…? Oh!" Ruby immediately snapped to attention. "Sorry sir!"

Bradford shook his head in amusement, "It's fine, Sergeant. On that note, I'd like to address the next issue. The alien raid on our base, while successfully repelled, cost us the lives of several good men and women."

Ruby knew this. When all the commotion immediately following the base defense died down, Van Doorn held another service at the Memorial Wall to honor the fallen. It wasn't quite as grand as the one for the members of Strike One, but it still remained a solemn affair. She waited for Bradford to continue.

"Among them were several officers, which leaves us with a small gap in XCOM's field command. Don't worry," he added, cutting off Ruby's concerns, "There are still more than enough officers to cover every Strike team. You've probably noticed, however, that XCOM relies on a lot of redundancy to avoid catastrophic failure. It could be tomorrow that Colonel Zhang or Commander Van Doorn falls in the line of combat, and so it's vital that we continue to keep newer officers trained up to prepare for such a possibility."

"That… makes sense."

"I've discussed it with some of the senior officers, and there's a near-unanimous motion to promote you to Lieutenant, Miss Rose."

Bradford smiled at the stunned silence that greeted him. If well-deserved praise from her partner was enough to make Ruby blush, Bradford could only guess at the effects of learning that Van Doorn and Zhang advocated for her promotion to an officer.

"I… uh… I… you… what." was all Ruby managed to stammer by way of reply.

"Usually, these things take time to carefully consider, but this case is pretty open-and-shut in my opinion. Lieutenant Rose…" Bradford reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box, handing it to Ruby. She carefully opened it and pulled out the small medal it held. Ruby looked up to see Bradford giving her a salute, followed by her three friends mimicking the action. "Wow…"

"Look at it this way, sis: you already order us around on the battlefield, it's just more official now." Yang put in brightly.

Bradford nodded. "Very few people were saying anything before about a rank-and-file soldier ordering around Major Vance, and now they'll have even less reason to do so. Besides, you've more than earned the title, Lieutenant. Congratulations."

Ruby carefully returned the medal to the box and stowed it in her pocket. She would ask Vance later about the finer details of wearing it ("where does it go?" being the primary question). For now, she didn't want to delay their meeting by continuing to talk about her promotion.

"Is there anything else, sir?"

"One more thing," Bradford admitted. "I hate to do this so soon after your promotion, but I also feel it will be a good way to help you get used to your role. A mission has come up. Nothing big, fortunately. It's just… strange. I want you to take your team, along with a few extras, and check it out. Exercise caution, of course, but this should be a good warm up. The plan is to leave in three hours, so gather your team and determine who else you'll be taking with you."

"Understood, sir. Where are we going?"

Bradford checked the datapad in his hand. "A little fishing town off the coast of Newfoundland."


	15. Site Recon

A/N: For those of you so familiar with XCOM:EW (and/or LW) that Site Recon has become an exp pinata for your operatives, think back to the very first time you ran the mission. Remember the creepy atmosphere, the wonder of "where the hell is everything?" and the alarm "oh my, that's a lot of Chryssalids."

This is my attempt at doing that memory justice. Enjoy!

* * *

 _Test Message. Jaune, can you read this?_

Jaune stared at the text on his scroll. The message, straightforward by all accounts, appeared to have come from Ruby. The Ruby who, six days ago, stepped through a portal and disappeared to who-knows-where. Now six days later, at two in the morning, she evidently decided to send Jaune a message asking if he could read it.

"What in the world…?" He asked to nobody in particular before writing a response.

 _Yes, I can. Ruby, where are you?_

* * *

Lieutenant Rose.

Ruby liked the sound of that. Vance couldn't suppress his grin at all during the entire ride out to the mission site. Between bouts of talking her ear off, he contented himself with just sitting and wearing a goofy grin, muttering things like, 'Officer, eh? I knew it would happen.' He even ruffled her hair once or twice, much to her chagrin. According to Vance, XCOM had some sort of Officer Training School, where she'd be spending time to learn the ins-and-outs of command. Of course, she already possessed a fair amount of experience from her time leading Strike Eight, but Vance assured her that the OTS offered plenty of instruction that would prove useful to the squad's new Lieutenant.

Her friends offered her their own congratulations after Bradford dismissed them. Yang, of course, expressed her pride in Ruby's new position in a voice loud enough to carry throughout the entire anthill. Ruby didn't doubt for one second that everyone at XCOM now knew about Ruby's promotion, thanks to her sister. Blake, always the quiet one of the group, offered a simple 'Nice work.' and left the rest of the congratulatory remarks to Yang. Much to Ruby's relief, Weiss seemed just as happy with the appointment as Blake and Yang. It made Ruby happy to know that their time spent together helped Weiss come to trust her as an effective leader. Ruby intended to keep doing her best to make Weiss feel like her faith was well-placed.

And now Ruby prepared herself for her first mission as a Lieutenant. She knew it wouldn't feel any different (probably), but she still wanted to make sure this mission ran as smooth as possible. XCOM trusted her with the role of an officer, and Ruby needed to prove she deserved that trust. Her friends knew that she deserved the position, and Vance evidently knew it too. In addition to proving it to everyone back at XCOM, a small part of Ruby knew that she also needed to prove it to herself. Ever since her first mission, the huntress harbored doubts that Bradford made the right choice putting her in charge of Strike Eight. Even though Biggs was the last casualty under her command as well as the first, she couldn't help but scrutinize every single mission Strike Eight completed and stressed over every single mistake she made.

Leading a squad of soldiers against deadly aliens differed greatly from leading a team of huntresses against the Grimm. Sure, the Grimm could kill them if underestimated; however, Ruby believed that Aura removed a lot of the danger that an XCOM operation presented. Beowolves and Ursa couldn't take a hunter from 'healthy' to 'dead' in a single blow like a Thin Man or Berserker could. The sweeping technological advancements brought about by Vahlen and Shen's hard work definitely helped alleviate the problem, but the danger never completely disappeared. Split-second decisions at XCOM provided far deadlier risks than those at Beacon.

So, Ruby looked around the cargo space of the Skyranger at her team. In addition to her three best friends and Major Vance, she elected to bring a MEC trooper (Guardian spec) and a hover SHIV. Since she didn't know what to expect at the mission site, she felt that a support-oriented MEC may be extremely useful if the situation turned south. She requested the SHIV for two reasons: first, Ruby and Shen developed several upgrades for it that she wanted to test; second, if it turned out that this mission truly was dangerous, Ruby felt better about the possibility of losing a robot versus a live operative. Besides… She wanted to test one 'upgrade' in particular.

The rest of the flight passed uneventfully, save for the MEC trooper constantly chatting with the rest of the team. Ruby found out that his name was Elim Gustavo, though his friends at XCOM usually called him 'Bolts,' and he hailed from some nation called 'Mexico.' After Vance's excitement from Ruby's promotion finally settled down, Elim decided that the best way to fill the silence was telling the huntresses about his life story. Ruby didn't mind: the pride in Gustavo's voice was unmistakable, and Ruby found his passion for life, XCOM, and just about everything else rather refreshing. After half an hour of the Gunnery Sergeant's monologuing, Strike Eight touched down in Newfoundland. When the hatch opened, the squad quickly stepped out of the vehicle and Ruby was greeted with…

… Silence. A light snow dusted the village in white, and the utter _stillness_ of everything sent a mild chill down Ruby's spine. She saw no tracks in the snow that would indicate signs of activity from the locals, and the only sounds came from some seagulls squawked lazily overhead and the ringing bell on a buoy as it bobbed in the waves. The mission site contained no burning cars, no crumbling walls, no sounds of shooting or screaming in the distance… nothing. Water calmly lapped up against the docks below, and a gentle breeze played across the village as snow continued to fall. A large fish market stood abandoned in the center of town, attracting the town's largest concentration of seagulls. The gathering of fishing stalls reminding Ruby of a solemn copse of trees, standing silent and tall above everything else in the fishing village. Everywhere she looked, large fish hung from their tails, swaying gently in the wind. The entire zone looked like an empty ghost town to Ruby.

Once Bolts stomped off the ramp, the whole team stood for a moment in silence until Yang decided to break it.

"Welp, this place is creepy already."

Ruby nodded, "Yeah... Maybe we're just overthinking this, but we should probably take it slow. How many Scanners do you have, Three?"

"Four," Blake replied without even needing to check, "Want me to toss one now?"

"I think that would be a good idea. We'll move towards the docks on the waterfront. While there isn't as much cover down there, the same applies to any contacts we might find. We won't get caught out in the open as long as we're careful."

Blake unclipped one of her scanners, flipped a toggle on its frame, and hurled the little ball high into the air. After landing a few seconds later, Blake had a clear picture of what waited for Strike Eight down at the docks.

"Nothing, Actual. It's empty down there." She looked up from her readout device. "I don't like this. _Something_ out here made this place worth Bradford's time and resources. The AO shouldn't be this quiet. If there aren't any contacts nearby, then where is everyone?"

Ruby silently agreed with her friend. This place got creepier and creepier the longer Strike Eight waited. It didn't matter, though: they had a job to do, and Ruby planned to do it. She performed one last weapon check on her sniper rifle before steeling herself against the intangible fear that hung in the air.

"Alright, we're doing this by the book. Three, you're on point. Two, you're a few steps behind Three, and you get the Shenbot to keep you company."

" _Salutations!_ " The SHIV cheerfully chirped. The rest of Ruby's team stared it, but for two entirely different reasons.

Vance raised an eyebrow, "… Did the SHIV just talk?"

"Forget that," Yang interrupted, "Did the SHIV just talk _like Penny_?"

Ruby laughed nervously, "Ah, I forgot to mentioned that. One of the less useful upgrades I built with Shen. I couldn't get the voice right, but the lines were easy enough." She shrugged, "I thought it would be a nice little reminder of our friends back home." **(I also love shivs. Penny SHIV now best SHIV… please live little SHIV!)**

"I don't know about you guys, but I can appreciate a little bit of humor and nostalgia in a situation like this." Weiss pointed out, "Anything to help get rid of the jitters this place is giving me."

"Yeah, exactly! Right, moving on: Four, you're with me and Five in the back providing long-range support. Six, you're in the middle and ready to help either the front team or the rear guard depending who has bigger problems."

" _Affirmative. Ready to move out._ " Bolts acknowledged.

Strike Eight picked its way down towards the docks, with the Snipers providing overwatch while the soldiers on point advanced. Aside from the increased ocean breeze down by the water, nothing new changed for the team. By this point, Ruby wondered if the entire op would be like this. On the one hand, Ruby wanted nothing more than to have a smooth mission with no casualties, and a op with literally no hostile contacts would make that easy. On the other hand, Bradford rarely made mistakes when determining real info from prank reports. If he sent them out here, he did it for a reason.

Just as Ruby began contemplating what possible reasons dragged them here, the team heard a low moan coming from around a corner just ahead. Almost in perfect unison, the operatives raised their weapons and aimed them towards the source of the noise.

"Three, talk to me." Ruby muttered.

"Sounds like zombies on the other side of that boat. Just two of them, though."

Ruby's heart sank. Where there are zombies, their progenitors are sure to be close by. Strike Eight's odds for a 'perfect' mission just dropped by a healthy percentage. Why, of all things, did Ruby's first mission as an officer have to be Chryssalids?

"No point in advertising our location, then. Two and Three, switch to bayonets and take them down quietly once we have line of sight. The rest of us will remain on guard for… additional hostiles while you deal with the zombies."

With a muted _shhhink_ , Weiss and Blake deployed their bladed attachments before dashing off towards the docked boat to ambush the zombies. The rest of Strike Eight took cover and held their weapons at the ready.

Sure enough, a pair of shufflers stepped around the bow and into view. Ruby's melee team immediately tore into them, slicing their throats with red-hot blades before the zombies could finish their moans. The first one fell to the floor, gurgling as blood poured out of its neck wound while the second desperately swiped swipe at Blake. The zombie's attack uselessly struck thin air, as Blake deftly dodged the blow before following up with a second strike to the neck. The rest of Strike Eight watched the Scout cleanly decapitate her target, the body standing upright for a comical second before gravity brought it tumbling down.

Blake keyed her mic, "Targets neutralized. No additional contacts in the-"

A bolt of plasma struck her leg as a squad of Thin Men materialized on the rooftop of one of the fishing stalls in the town above them. Blake let out a small cry and almost dropped to one knee in surprise, but Weiss quickly caught her and slung Blake's arm around her shoulders. The Guardian MEC kneeled down and slammed his gun into the ground. Large blast plates shot out from either side, allowing several of his flanked teammates to take cover behind him.

"Well ain' that some fuckin' bullshit." Vance cursed, sliding into cover behind a pile of crates, "Thin Men with Mimetic Skin?" He hefted his rifle and snapped a shot that left one of their assailants with a punctured windpipe. "Who thought _that_ would be a good idea?"

"The aliens did, apparently," replied Ruby, lining up a shot of her own. "I thought that would be obvious."

Vance sighed, "Didn't anybody teach you the concept of a rhetorical question back on Remnant? Because that was a rhetorical question."

"Nope." Ruby's rifle hissed as the pulse beam shot out and smacked the Thin Man dead in the chest.

"Guys, guys," Yang interrupted, her own shot missing the hidden targets, "Enough with the poisonous back-and-forth. It's bad for morale."

Ruby rolled her eyes and keyed her mic, "Two? How's Three doing?"

"She's alright," came Weiss's voice through the earpiece, "Thin Man got a clean shot at her leg, but the improved body armor you designed did its job. I can see a few minor burns, but nothing serious."

"Well that's a relief, at least." Ruby answered, taking another shot at the aliens, wincing when she shot wide.

"C'mon, kiddo, you're better than that." Vance teased as he dropped his own target. "Need some help?"

"Not from you," Ruby muttered. "Bolts? Do you mind tossing an incendiary grenade to our friend up there?"

" _Launching explosive payload_." Ruby wondered if all MEC troopers took a class on talking like a robot, or maybe they just unanimously decided that it sounded cooler with their modulated voices. The difference in Gustavo's tone once he put the helmet on was like night and day. The Guardian aimed his shoulder-mounted grenade launcher with the help of the suit's on-board targeting suite and fired at his target. The small explosive sailed through the air and landed on the roof next to the last Thin Man, enveloping the space in a plume of flame once it reached the end of its fuse. The Thin Man panicked, and as it tried to leap down from the roof to escape the inferno, Ruby struck it down with a final shot from her rifle.

After Ruby killed the last target, normalcy once again fell over the region. The return of the seagulls and the buoy bell almost made the fight feel like no more than a dream. The burning roof over some fisherman's shop stood as the only reminder of the thirty-second battle. Ruby jogged over to check on Weiss while she busily attended to Blake.

"How's the leg? Can you walk?" Ruby asked.

"Burns a little bit, but it's fine." Blake responded, embarrassment evident in her voice. She was supposedly the soldier with the best senses, and yet she became the op's first casualty.

"Alright, but I don't think anyone will complain if you take it slow. Especially now that we know there's probably more of those cloaked Thin Men out there. Take your time and keep an ear out for strange noises."

The Scout nodded before letting Weiss pull her to her feet. Ruby turned back to the rest of Strike Eight. "We're moving out. Three's still on point."

The team continued to progress through the fishing village. Twice more the aliens attempted to ambush them with cloaked Thin Men. Blake must have taken personal offense to being out-witted the first time, because the smartly-dressed infiltrators never caught her flat-footed again. By the time the team reached the far end of the docks, nobody took any injuries beyond Blake's leg wound in the first encounter.

Ruby's first 'creepy ghost town' impression of the village only grew as time wore on. Rotting fish in the market stalls attracted clouds of flies while wood signs hanging from the buildings creaked ominously in the wind. The part that unnerved Ruby the most, however, was the utter lack of any signs of alien activity beyond the few Thin Men groups they'd encountered so far. No abduction modules (not that there were any locals to abduct in the first place), no UFOs, no meld, and no dead bystanders.

"This has been surprisingly quiet." Yang observed while they stopped to let Blake toss out another Battlescanner.

"Yeah," Ruby agreed, "I'm just wondering where the Chryssalids are." She stopped to think back to the first contacts they encountered on the mission. "Those _were_ zombies, right? I mean, I've never seen them without the stupid 'Lids nearby."

Weiss snorted, "You weren't up in their face, but trust me: they reeked like zombies. Definitely no mistaking that stench."

"So where are the Chryssalids, then?"

"Scanner's found something," Blake interrupted, pointing further down the waterline, "See that cargo ship over there? There's a lot of heat coming from inside of it."

Vance gave Ruby a light punch to the shoulder, "If there's anywhere your Chryssalids are hiding, twenty bucks say it's there."

Ruby rolled her eyes, "No need for a bet, Major. That boat's pretty much the only place we haven't checked out yet. C'mon, let's do this carefully and quietly."

The Lieutenant took stock of their surroundings. While there were no more boats between them and the cargo ship, the docks still extended all the way to the large vessel. A wooden tower stood as the only point of interest along the way. Judging by its proximity to the shore, Ruby guessed that it served as some sort of lifeguard tower. Apart from the docks, the high road through the town's market also stretched towards the liner. It was then that Ruby noticed some wood planks and rubble covering the back end of the ship.

"Hey… is it just me, or does it look like that thing crashed rather than docked?"

"Now that you mention it, looks like the ship slammed into a second one of those towers." Vance commented, "Man, this is going from 'bad' to 'worse' real quick, isn't it?"

Ruby sighed and put together a tentative plan, "Three, approach the ship with extreme caution and scout it as best you can. Keep line of sight with the tower over there, because Five and I will take up positions from the roof and provide you with some measure of covering fire if necessary. Four, I want you to come with us and keep your launcher ready. We might need to bail out quickly, and a rocket will slow down whatever decides to chase us."

"Chryssalids," Vance interrupted, "Definitely Chryssalids."

Ruby continued, "Two and Six, make your way to the high ground with Pennybot and be ready for anything. If we're lucky, I'm overreacting here. If we're not, then at least we're prepared. Let's move."

Blake deftly grappled ahead of the group towards the makeshift rubble walkway. Ruby, Yang, and Vance wasted no time setting up a nest atop the lifeguard tower. Shortly thereafter, Ruby received confirmation from Weiss that her team reached their post. Now they played the waiting game while Blake did her job.

Through the scope of her rifle, Ruby tracked her friend's movements as she slowly crossed the plank bridge to the ship's top deck. The magnification of her scope was enough for her to pick out the faint look of revulsion growing on Blake's face.

"Something wrong, Three?" Ruby asked over the comm channel.

"The smell here is disgusting, like something crawled into this liner and died." Ruby saw her stop dead in her tracks, and then she spoke again, "Actually, I think that might be the case. There's a large gap in the ship's deck ahead that probably gives me a look into the hull. Do you want me to proceed?"

"Sounds like we don't really have a choice in the matter." Ruby keyed her mic to open the Skyranger-boosted channel back to Mission Control. "Central, you hearing this?"

"Affirmative, Actual," came Bradford's voice over the mic, "And I don't like the sound of it at all. Keep going, but be prepared to scrap the mission if things to go hell in a handbasket. This isn't worth a squad wipe."

"Almost sounds like you're implying that some operations _are_ worth a squad wipe, boss." Vance cheerfully commented. Ruby ignored him.

"Understood, Central. Three is about to get eyes on the inside of that ship."

She watched Blake inch her way towards the center of the deck. The Scout reached the edge of the hole, looked down, and quickly backpedaled.

"Ruby, this is bad. This is really, really bad."

Ruby's skin began to crawl. Weiss developed a habit of forgetting to use naming protocols when she got angry, but Blake never slipped. "What is it?"

"There's a giant, rotting whale carcass in the ship's hull. The insides, they're… I think the Chryssalids are using it as a breeding ground."

Silence reigned as everyone in Strike Eight let Blake's statement sink in.

"Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me," whispered the Major, "Tell me you're kidding me."

Ruby watched Blake peer over the edge of the hole again before shrinking back. "Negative, Five. There are rows and rows of egg sacs lining the inside of the whale, and I just saw one break open and drop a Chryssalid."

"Central…"

"I'm reading you, Actual. Nothing you have will be enough to destroy that whale, but it definitely needs to be dealt with ASAP. We've identified the liner as the SS Arethusa, and it has an onboard signal transponder. If you can get Three to the captain's bridge and activate the transponder, local airforce will be able to lock onto the coordinates and firebomb the whole area. It's an extreme measure, but anything less runs the risk of the infestation spreading. Get to the transponder, and then _get out of there_."

Blake didn't need to be told twice. The bridge was at the back end of the upper deck, and she quickly started picking her way across the ship's length towards the door. Everything seemed to be going smoothly, and it looked like Blake would reach the transponder undetected, until the wood planking supporting Bolts fractured with a loud _snap_.

"Oh Christ…"

Every member of Strike Eight froze, as if staying absolutely still would somehow erase the sound from a few seconds ago. The shrill cacophony of alert Chryssalids quickly murdered that possibility, and Blake found herself face-to-face with one that leapt up to the top deck, apparently sent to investigate the source of the noise.

Two pulse laser beams shot out from the lifeguard tower and knocked the corpse back down to the ship's hold.

"Run, Blake!"

Stealth no longer an option, Blake dashed to cover the thirty yards between her and the bridge. Before she even made it halfway there, another three Chryssalids jumped from the hive to block her path.

"Six! Move to assist Three and clear a path. It's time to put the new super-heavy armor mod to use and draw attention to yourself."

" _Engaging Juggernaut Protocol_." Even as Bolts began running towards the ship's entry, additional plating extended from various slits in his armor and locked into place to further reinforce his already durable frame. As more of the armor finished deploying, Ruby saw his movements become slower and more jerky. This was the one challenge that she and Shen failed to crack: all the extra armor noticeably reduced the mobility of any MEC using it. The workaround they developed was to make the defensive plating retractable. That way, the MEC could operate normally, and only activate the armor when the extra defense outweighed the loss of speed. Ruby hoped that this was one of those cases.

"Two, back him up as best you can. That armor is tough, but not impervious. Pennybot will provide air support."

" _I'm combat ready!_ " the SHIV chirped. **(oh, pennySHIV, I love you)**

In an effort to avoid the Chryssalids, Blake grappled across the hull to the far side of the hole before continuing her advance on the bridge. To her frustration, two more Chryssalids cut the Scout off from her goal. Their mandibles clicked with excitement as they slowly moved in on their target. Like fingers of God, another volley of sniper fire wounded one and killed the second. Blake reflexively fired her Strike Rifle and finished off the wounded target. She probably could have killed it with her bayonet before the alien had a chance to counterattack, but Blake remembered how bad Weiss's injury got from her scratch in the base assault and decided not to run the risk of a similar accident.

The faunus sprinted towards the bridge, grateful that no more purple monstrosities blocked her path. She barreled across the entryway and slammed the door shut behind her. Looking out through the window, she saw Bolts standing on the top deck and staring down at least a dozen Chryssalids. That explained why she managed to reach her target safely, but Blake hoped the MEC could handle so many hostiles at once. She looked back down at the panel before her. Some small shred of luck must have still been with Strike Eight, as the Scout quickly spotted a bright red button amidst all the instrumentation marked 'Emergency Transponder' with a small note taped to it that read 'Do not touch!' Blake ignored the note's advice and punched the button. The panel's lighting immediately came to life, indicating that the equipment still worked.

As if to confirm Blake's deduction, Bradford's voice came over the radio, "Strike Eight, the transponder is active and transmitting. I've already coordinated with a local airbase, and the bombing squadron is on approach. You need to get out of there ASAP: the airstrike will arrive in a matter of minutes, and anyone left behind is as good as dead."

Outside, Bolts looked out at all the Chryssalids staring back at him. Twelve total, but he could hear more hatching below. He needed to clear the rabble quickly, and when it came to mass-eradication of insectoid hordes, one solution stood head and shoulders above the rest.

" _Killing them with fire_." Bolts opened up the fuel line to his flamer, and burning jellied elerium poured out and seared the crowd. He knew that Chryssalids could survive a wave of fire, but that didn't mean they enjoyed the experience. His foes screeched in pain and quickly scattered in an attempt to flee from the inferno. Weiss raised her shotgun and dispatched a couple of the exposed targets before they left the effective range of her weapon. She saw Blake exit the bridge and run around the charred corpses of her victims before reuniting with the Assault team.

"C'mon, we have to move."

As the words left her mouth, a screech far louder and far deeper than any they heard so far rumbled up from the depths of the Arethusa. The sound turned Blake's blood to ice, and she watched the surviving elements of Bolts's horde reappear, their cooked exteriors still smoking. Following the survivors with a heavy shudder was the only thing Blake believed to be large enough to emit a sound as terrifying as the one they just heard. The alien definitely had the physical appearance of a Chryssalid, if one of the nasty monsters managed to grow twenty feet tall. Its talons splintered the deck as the wood planking struggled to support the creature's weight. Blake heard the flooring creak as the behemoth slowly lumbered forward behind its army of smaller broodmates.

"Vance…" Ruby began, struggling to make her mouth form words, "What is that?"

"That's a Greater Hive Queen, Lieutenant," the Major answered in a shaky whisper, "And it's bad news."

The giant Chryssalid wailed again, and the horde of minions charged.


	16. Executioner

"Weiss!" Ruby yelled.

"Right!" Weiss flipped open a hatch on the back of her shotgun and pulled out Myrtenaster. She fastened the shotgun to her armor via maglock and punched a small toggle on her hip. For a split second, trails of electricity arced all across her body and Ruby watched her partner briefly wince at the pain. After it passed, Weiss leapt into action. The electro-static surge gave the huntress roughly ten seconds to do as much damage as possible. While the Hive Queen posed a very attractive target, the swarm of regular Chryssalids posed a more immediate threat to the assault team. With a flick of her wrist, Weiss summoned a wave of ice in front of Bolts, impaling the first few aliens in the middle of their leap as they lunged at the MEC. Those right behind the forerunners slammed face-first into the frozen mass while the rest of the horde skittered around the wall and pushed forward to mob their prey. Still, the brief respite bought some time for Bolts to get a better hold on the situation.

" _Hostiles detected! Firing main cannon!_ " the airborne SHIV aimed down at the charging aliens and unleashed a torrent of beam fire from its Superheavy Pulser. Wood splintered around the Chryssalids as the robot swept its gun across the length of the deck. Several of the aliens collapsed under the assault, but the rest simply trampled over them in an effort to reach the Guardian.

The revolver chamber on Weiss's rapier spun until the red dust locked into the active slot. She aimed the weapon at the charging horde and several fiery glyphs appeared behind her. With a single thrust, each symbol launched a ball of fire that crashed into the Arethusa's deck, cooking several unfortunate Chryssalids in the process. With not enough time to prepare another Aura attack, Weiss used her remaining energy to quickly leap back out of harm's way. She sucked in hard, panting as the strain of her actions finally caught up to her. Using the railing for support, Weiss continued to backpedal and put distance between herself and the horde while she recovered.

"I'm spent, Actual, but I think Bolts can handle the rest."

The first Chryssalid that reached the MEC ate a rocket punch to the face as Bolts activated his Kinetic Strike Module. He knew he needed to retreat, but he also knew that turning his back on the aliens would spell certain doom. The only compromise he could think of entailed punching aliens while backpedaling as fast as his Juggernaut Plating allowed. A second Chryssalid managed to latch on to the front of his frame and raised a talon in an effort to stab the cybersuit. Bolts grabbed it with his free hand and tossed it aside, allowing Weiss to blast it with her shotgun. The High Explosive power source she primed turned the corpse into a steaming mess of chunky flesh and gore. The third and fourth Chryssalids that dug into the MEC frame survived for mere seconds before precise shots from the team's Sniper duo killed both of them.

Blake grappled to the safety of Ruby's nest before turning to help cover the MEC's escape.

"We need to move, Ruby." She said, her tone calm and quiet.

"I know, but Bolts can't move very quickly with all those Chryssalids trying to tear through his suit. If I order him to disengage his Juggernaut plating, he'll be vulnerable to their attacks while his armor shifts." She fired her rifle and another of the aliens jerked back mid-leap before falling lifelessly to the deck. Not that it mattered though: for every critter she killed, more crawled up from the bowels of the ship to replace it.

"Do you have any ideas?" She asked Blake while she stopped to reload her rifle.

"Just one." Her friend muttered, "And it'll buy some time for our friend. Cover me."

Ruby watched Blake line up her grapple and zip back over to the boat. Even before she punched her surge injector, Ruby guessed her plan. As the familiar web of electricity traced a path across Blake's body, the Lieutenant keyed her mic, "Time to run, Bolts! Eight-Three will keep the 'lids occupied while you regain your mobility.

" _Understood._ " The MEC began retracting the armored plating slowing him down while Blake leapt into combat with Gambol Shroud.

Even though the disruptor field only gave her ten seconds, it felt good to fight with her old weapons again. She led off with a slash at the nearest alien followed by a shadow dodge up and away from its retaliatory strike. While in the air, she flung the shuriken-like end of her weapon down at her foes and yanked it around with her cable to strike several in a wide arc. Her first victim split open from the assault, while the others suffered deep-but-not-fatal cuts. After landing once again on the deck, Blake could see the psychological damage of her attack: while the Chryssalids certainly looked eager to shred her to pieces, none of them wanted to take the first step.

The Scout still had some time left on her clock, so she dashed forward to cut another Chryssalid in half before shadow dodging laterally to avoid reprisal and simultaneously flow into another strike. After a second dodge, she felt her Auric surge fade away, and Blake reluctantly returned Gambol Shroud to its place on her back. Her work paid off, however, and Blake saw Bolts retreating off the deck of the ship towards the rest of the squad. A quick shot from her grapple, and Blake followed suit.

The Greater Hive Queen shrieked at her escaping prey, and her brood began skittering down from the ship's deck towards Strike Eight. Ruby watched as the side of the ship split open, spilling out more of the grotesque creatures as they left their infernal birthing chamber. She started to understand why this place needed to be firebombed. Implanting eggs into a human host could only yield one offspring, but a massive whale… Strike Eight could sit here all day shooting Chryssalids, and they'd probably run out of ammo before they ran out of targets. No, cleansing this place with fire was the only way to nullify the threat with any level of certainty, and even then Ruby wished that XCOM had some sort of orbital strike Bradford could call in just to be completely sure.

Right now, however, the onslaught of Chryssalids took priority over wondering whether or not XCOM should equip its satellites with heavy-ordnance lasers. Ruby watched Weiss and Bolts madly dash away from the overflowing fishing ship while the rest of the squad gave them covering fire. The aliens were gaining on her friends, however, and Ruby needed a way to keep them from devouring the retreating operatives.

"Four! Can you fire a rocket at the Chryssalids without hitting Bolts or Elsa?"

"Thought you'd never ask." Yang replied, who hefted her launcher into firing position. Seconds later, the warhead streaked towards the center of the mob chasing Eight-Two and Eight-Six, sending Chryssalids and wood paneling sky-high as its payload detonated. Through the smoke, Ruby could see several charred Chryssalid bodies, with several more laying still except for a few twitching limbs. Yang's rocket struck the mob with impressive accuracy, buying a few more precious seconds for her squadmates.

While Pennybot continued to hose the survivors with Pulse Laser fire from above, the Assault team beat a hasty retreat. The Greater Hive Queen screamed in fury before leaping off the Arethusa with a torrential crash. The wooden dock groaned in protest under the stress of the monster's titanic weight, and Ruby silently wished that the damn thing would just splinter and send their nemesis straight into the water. Of course, XCOM operations were never that easy, and the Sniper sighed when the broodmother lurched forward to give chase.

With Weiss and Bolts close to reaching the lifeguard tower, the other four operatives jumped off and started the squad's tactical retreat. Blake, Ruby, and Vance would zip ahead to an advantageous position to take a few potshots at the Chryssalids closest to the rest of the squad while Weiss, Yang, and Bolts continued to run. Every time Ruby thought she had an opportunity to take a shot at the Hive Queen, several of her minions rushed ahead and threatened to tear into one of the Lieutenant's soldiers. It reminded Ruby of when she and Yang used to play with water balloons when they were little: no matter how hard she tried to squeeze down on the whole balloon, and the liquid would find a small gap and squeeze through her fingers. The unfortunate situation left Ruby's team with no real means to take down the big one as they retreated to the Skyranger. For now, though, the delaying tactic brought Strike Eight that much closer to safety, and bought Ruby some time to think.

The chase took the squad up the docks and towards the center of town. Pennybot, free to attack with impunity, did its best to slow down the horde as it happily chirped adorably cheesy one-liners like, ' _These people are_ not _your friends. Eliminating hostiles!_ ' No amount of suppressive fire from PennySHIV deterred the ravenous Chryssalids, especially the Greater Hive Queen. By the time Strike Eight reached the market's edge, the colossal Chryssalid gained significant ground on them.

"That thing will be on us long before we reach extraction." Weiss pointed out, throwing a glance back at their pursuer. Ruby did the same and grimaced.

"I don't know how we're going to take that thing down. If we had the time, maybe it'd be possible, but now?" She wracked her brain trying to find a solution. Weiss already burned her Hunter Module back on the boat, as did Blake, and ten seconds wouldn't be enough time for Yang to power up enough to kill the monster. Ruby's super speed could distract it while the rest of the squad escaped, but she would have to spend at least a minute trying to evade normally before she could zip back to the Skyranger where everyone else would be waiting. The Major was a fantastic marksman, but he could only do so much against so many enemies. Bolts could probably take it down, but likely get killed in the process. Pennybot could…

Pennybot.

"Pennybot! Engage Lancer Mode!"

" _Affirmative!_ " The SHIV responded cheerfully. As it raced through the sky to chase after the giant Chryssalid, its Superheavy Pulser started to morph. The thick, round cannon began to elongate and slim down. When it finished, the robot sported a literal lance in place of its usual laser cannon. " _Target locked!_ " The lance began to glow a bright red, and the SHIV dove towards its foe. The Chryssalid stopped to look back at the source of the noise only to watch the small craft slam into its back and plunge the lance deep into its body.

The Chryssalid roared with a mixture of pain and anger, staggering from the shock of its first real wound. The rest of the Chryssalids also halted, their concern for their mother superseding their desire to kill. Ruby heard a quiet mechanical whine and saw chunks of flesh and blood flying away from Pennybot's point of contact. She smiled as the SHIV's lance continued to spin up, boring through the alien's tough hide like a cobalt drill bit through steel. While the SHIV's distraction might've been a good opportunity for the rest of the squad to make a break for the Skyranger, Ruby couldn't risk the possibility of the massive Chryssalid shaking off Pennybot and catching up with them. If that thing managed to get its claws into their transport…

The Greater Hive Queen continued to howl, a hint of panic edging into its voice. The monstrosity began to flail around, trying to unseat its attacker. Pennybot valiantly remained attached to the alien's backside while continuing to drill deeper and deeper. Several other Chryssalids got the idea to leap up onto the Hive Queen's back and assault the SHIV.

"Don't let those 'lids reach Pennybot!"

Ruby's words came too late. As the operatives snapped off shots at the Chryssalids, the Hive Queen spun around, easily tanking the team's laser rounds intended for Pennybot's assailants. The sound of rending metal reached Ruby's ears, and the massive Chryssalid suddenly stopped its panicked flailing. It let out a bone-chilling scream before redoubling its speed towards the group.

"That… did not work as intended." Yang noted.

Before anyone could do anything, Bolts broke off from the group. He turned to face the charging Chryssalid, re-deployed his enhanced plating, and readied his Kinetic Strike Module.

"Six!" Ruby shouted, "What are you doing?!"

The MEC turned to look at Ruby. " _Go, Lieutenant._ Los maquinas _will handle this one._ " He turned back to the Greater Hive Queen, and form-shifted his rocket fist just enough to wreath it in fire from his flamer. As the monstrosity drew closer, he pulled his arm back and fired up the micro-rockets in his fist.

" _Falcon…_ " The fist shot forward and connected with the belly of the Chryssalid. Gouts of flame, smoke, and steaming blood shot out as the MEC's opening attack crashed into the alien's chest. The Greater Hive Queen skidded to a halt several yards away, and Ruby began to think that Bolts could pull this off. Of course, those hopes quickly vanished when the broodmother's horde rushed forward to overrun the MEC.

"Iii-III-iii'm _com_ BAT rEAdyyyy…" Ruby looked up at the barely-aloft SHIV. One of its impulse drives continued to erratically fire, and a shower of sparks occasionally shot out from several gashes in its armor, but Pennybot somehow managed to survive the Chryssalid attack, "OverLOAD _ing_ p-p-p-pulse difffffUSER aaaaaand ENgaging _suicide protoc-c-c-col._ " The SHIV dove towards the charging mass of aliens and slammed into the wood planks just behind the first few. Several of the assailants stopped their charge to assess the new threat. A single tear slid down Ruby's face as the robot's lance burned white hot before exploding into a searing ball of flame. She knew it wasn't really Penny, but for a short while, Ruby allowed herself to enjoy this one memory of home. And now the Lieutenant had to watch 'Penny' die in front of her for the good of the squad.

Razor sharp wood splinters shot out like shrapnel from the blast's epicenter. The Juggernaut Plating on Bolts easily deflected all of the wooden projectiles, and the MEC stood his ground to see if any Chryssalids survived the blast. His unasked question received an answer in the form of the Greater Hive Queen leaping through the smoke and flames, front talons outstretched and aiming for the MEC's chest. Bolts had barely enough time to raise an arm in defense before alien bone collided with XCOM steel and sent the Guardian tumbling to the floor.

Bolts quickly recovered from the fall and rolled into a three-point landing, his Kinetic Strike Module warming up while tongues of flame licked its front surface, " _It's time for you to stay down,_ puta." The MEC spat before launching himself once more at his massive foe. For a second time, fire enveloped the two combatants, and Ruby listened to the infernal clash of titans for a second time. A shrill cry from the Hive Queen cut itself short, and relative silence fell upon Newfoundland. Ruby strained her eyes to see if she could catch a glimpse of the victor through the obscuring smoke. A small sea breeze picked up and blew away the fiery screen, revealing a dead Chryssalid and a floored Bolts. As more of the ashen cloud blew away, Ruby saw a very large talon impaling the MEC's chest.

Ruby almost threw up, "Bolts!" She started running towards the MEC, but a firm hand stopped her.

"We don't have time, Ruby." Vance said, "He died so that we could reach extraction. Let that sacrifice mean something."

She wanted to throw off Vance's arm, argue with him, yell at him… but Ruby knew that he was right. Almost as if on cue, Ruby heard Bradford's voice in her ear, "Lieutenant Rose, that airstrike is closing in on your position. You _need_ to get to the evac point before it's too late."

"We gotta move, Eights!" She shouted before starting to pick up her running pace again. The rest of the team followed suit, with Blake leading the squad. They ran up the docks and through the fish market. Maybe her nose was deceiving her, but Ruby thought that the dead fish smelled even worse than it did half an hour ago.

"Hey… do you guys smell that?"

"Yeah," Weiss answered, "Smells like rotting death. Definitely wasn't there the first time we came this way."

Ruby's blood became ice as she heard the tell-tale groaning of Chryssalid-spawned zombies. How many were there? Ten? Twenty? Where were they on the team's first pass through the village?

"I guess that explains the smell." Blake observed,

"Chuck an HE grenade if you've got it. Otherwise, we don't have time to deal with these guys. They can burn with the Chryssalids in the air strike."

As Strike Eight ran through the fish market, green-skinned inhabitants tumbled out of windows and over ledges in their efforts to shamble towards their prey. Multiple doors slammed open, and it seemed like every building in the market had at least one or two of the stupid shamblers lying in wait for the squad to run by. The sounds of grenades crumping reached Ruby's ears, and she looked back to see several of the one-man fish stalls toppling over in flames. With any luck, that would slow down the approaching zombies enough for the team to clear out.

Still, the stench in the air bothered Ruby. The fish in the market didn't look bad enough to match the smell, and the zombies never smelled this bad either. The only word Ruby could think of to describe it was 'necrotic,' and it nagged at the back of her mind while the team hoofed it through the town. Even as they got further and further from the center of the market and away from the slowly encroaching horde, the awful smell remained. Did the Chryssalids somehow inject the fish? If they could implant a whale, who's to say they couldn't implant one of those hanging sharks? The thought made Ruby shudder, and she turned to ask Vance for his thoughts before a rumbling in the earth interrupted her.

Everyone stopped when they felt the small shockwave to looked back at where they came from. A few seconds later, the ground shook again, and a gutteral screech sent Ruby's plummeting into her stomach. The group just cleared the market, and they had visual contact with the Skyranger. They were _this close_ to making it to the evac point without problems beyond the surprise zombies, only to find out that the Hive Queen wasn't quite as dead as they previously thought.

"Oh no…"

Before Ruby, or anyone else, could form a plan to deal with the resurging threat, one of the hanging fish in the market erupted. A Chryssalid leapt out of the ruined shark, and flung itself at the nearest target: Blake. The Scout only had time to raise her arms in defense before the alien pounced on her, talons pinning her to the ground by piercing her forearms and calves. The shock overpowered any instinct she had react, and Blake could only watch in horror as the Chryssalid ripped one of its talons free from her ruined arm and raised it high into the air before slamming the wicked claw down through her gut.

Blake screamed.

Searing pain coursed through her body, and Blake felt as if every pain receptor in her nervous system began firing at once. The beady eyes of the Chryssalid bore into her, and Blake felt everything else go blurry as she struggled to break away from the creature's horrific gaze. All the yelling, the motion, the tremors in the ground… Blake's body decided that these didn't matter as her senses slowly began to shut down. Blake felt the warmth of a fiery explosion and barely made out golden flames replacing the Chryssalid's visage through the hazy fog of her eyesight. She barely noticed the sound of her name from a million miles away while she enjoyed the warmth of… whatever caused the fire.

Darkness slowly creeped in from the corners of Blake's vision, and she vaguely noted just how tired she felt. She struggled to remember what caused her to feel so fatigued, and panic briefly set in when she failed to remember why she was here in the first place. The terror subsided as quickly as it came while the comforting heat continued to dull her senses. Deciding that falling asleep next to a warm fire seemed as good a place as any, Blake succumbed to the pain of her wounds and slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

Blake vaguely became aware of people carrying her and shouting. It sounded like they were stressed and in a rush, but the fatigue flooding her body made the Scout too tired to care. They probably had the situation well in hand, and they likely didn't need her help. Still, she tried to pick out some of what they were saying, especially since she heard her own name a few times.

"… _hhhhhhng in there Blake. Jussssst…_ "

"… 'r _medkit. Get… medkit…_ "

Her eyes slowly fluttered open, and she recognized Yang's face staring back at her.

"… _Blake…?_ " She asked. Blake clearly saw worry and fear in her partner's eyes, but her voice sounded so soft, Blake barely noticed Yang talking. The effort to keep her eyes open proved too great for the faunus, and Blake fell back into blissful embrace oblivion.

* * *

The next time Blake became aware, she heard the sounds of people rushing all around her, and vaguely picked out the voices of Bradford and Vahlen.

"… _wounds... deep and inf… not much... left…_ "

"… _hhhhh'Aura? 'Sit helping… nything…?_ "

"… _extremity wounds… much… can't… everything…_ "

What were they talking about? Wounds? She didn't feel any pain, just a lot of fatigue. She only needed to take a nap and she'd be fine, Blake was sure of it. Just a little…

Her attention returned when she heard Ruby's voice. The clarity and resolve in her tone pierced through the fog clouding Blake's ability to focus moreso than anyone else present in the room.

"… _do it…_ "

"… _yyyyyy'sure…? Once w'… no… back…_ "

"… _no choice…_ " Though Blake still had trouble tracking everything she said, Ruby's voice was definitely sharper than the other two. Blake didn't remember ever hearing her sound so serious. "… _save her life… do it…_ "

Save her life? Blake wanted to sit up and explain that she only needed some sleep and she'd feel better. She wanted to tell them, but whatever made her so tired must have _really_ done a number on her. She'd tell them in the morning. Wait, was it night? What time was it? No matter, she'd tell them… whenever it was that she woke up. For now… sleep.

* * *

Blake's eyes flickered open, and a bright white ceiling greeted her. Silence permeated the room, except for the occasional beeping coming from her left. She turned her head to see an array of medical equipment with flashing lights and tubes running from it to… her, apparently. A combination of fluid lines and electrical leads connected to the life support and vanished under the sheets of Blake's bed.

Okay, so someone brought her to the Medbay. She remembered bits and pieces of the Newfoundland mission, and figured something happened that forced her to spend some time here. Not the first time this happened, if she was being honest with herself. She could just ask for the Major's post-action report once someone stopped by to check on her.

That light on the ceiling, though. Who came up with the brilliant idea of putting such a blindingly bright installment directly above a patient's bed in the Medbay? People don't want to wake up to the pain of a hundred burning suns searing their retinas.

She raised her arm to shield her sensitive eyes from the light, and noticed that something wrong. Very wrong.

The hand that came into view as it blocked the lamp was definitely not her own.

* * *

A/N: Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat


	17. Bella-tor In Machina

When Blake was a little orphan, she learned what it truly meant to be afraid. While dumpster-diving to find some food, a small gang of racist hoodlums chanced upon the young faunus and kidnapped Blake. The posse found an abandoned warehouse, where they tied up Blake and tortured her for amusement. While the abuse wasn't horrifically bad, it seemed to be a fate worse than death in the mind of a small, scared child. They yanked at her ears, burned them with smoldering cigarette butts, and set off small firecrackers in front of them. Her tormentors also used her as target practice for throwing rocks and gave her the occasional kick to the ribs on a whim. After about an hour of harassing Blake, the gangers grew bored and left without bothering to untie the little girl.

All night long, Blake remained sat trapped in the warehouse, her body aching from the abuse and her ears perking up at every little sound, fearful that it might be her tormentors back for more entertainment. Even her eyes, generally much keener than a human's, thanks to her faunus heritage, suffered from her fear-addled mind. Small movements in the shadows would leave Blake holding her breath, hoping that whatever was out there didn't know about the orphaned child strapped to a concrete column. Additionally the draftiness of the warehouse combined with Blake's inability to move somewhere warmer left her cold and shivering for most of the night.

An entire day passed without anyone discovering Blake. Her original captors evidently forgot about her, or didn't care enough to come back and see if their prisoner was dead or alive. The day's warmth helped get rid of the chills that plagued Blake, but considering that the little girl was already hungry and looking for food when the hoodlums originally found her, that gnawing feeling in Blake's stomach continued to drain her, sapping what little energy she still had. Now tired and hungry as well as terrified, Blake thought that she would die in her prison before rescue ever came. Finally, a small shred of luck found Blake in the form of two faunus children who wandered into the warehouse to play a game of hide and seek. They found the half-unconscious figure of Blake and quickly ran to get their parents. The next thing Blake remembered, she woke up in a small house under a pile of blankets with a glass of water and a small sandwich on a plate next to her.

While Blake managed to survive the whole ordeal, she never once found herself a situation where she felt more terrified than the little girl tied down in a warehouse contemplating when death would take her.

Except for now, when the sight of a metallic hand chilled Blake to her very core.

She sat there frozen for a solid minute staring at the foreign object, her mind reeling from all the possibilities and implications. Every scenario that she thought of (that she couldn't instantly dismiss as absurd) all lead back to the same observation: the hand raised in front of her looked like the one used by MEC soldiers around the anthill. She shifted her gaze slightly to the right and confirmed that the arm attached to the hand also looked like the ones she'd seen Vulcan or Gizmo walking around the base with.

With fear starting to bubble up from the pit of her stomach, Blake pulled her other arm out from under the bed sheet and raised it in front of her face. It looked exactly like the other, which meant…

Blake drew a shaky breath and gripped the edge of the sheet, lifting it so she could peer down at the lower half of her body. Under the cloth, she saw two mechanical legs fastened to her torso at the pelvis. Her body itself remained obscured underneath a mechanical bodysuit that ensured a stable connection between her new limbs and her biological torso.

"What…" she started, unable to break away from the sight before her, "What happened…?"

As the initial shock wore off, a feeling of horror started to settle in. She never considered the MEC soldiers of XCOM freaks, and had nothing but the utmost respect for the decision they made to preserve their race, but that was exactly the problem: they made a choice. One minute, Blake remembered running a mission in Newfoundland with her squad, and the next she found herself in the hospital with a drastically changed body. Who made this decision for her? Why didn't they find a different way for fixing… whatever problem she had?

"You're awake!" The sound of Yang's cheerful voice caused Blake to violently snap her head in the direction it came from. To her right, she saw her partner sitting up at the edge of her own bed. Yang looked overjoyed at the sight of seeing her partner once again among the living. Her body…

Blake's eyes widened, "Yang… your limbs…"

Yang's smile only grew wider as she held up one of her own mechanical arms and inspected it, "You like 'em? To be honest, I had my doubts at first, but thanks to Dr. Shen's tech and a little dose of Meld… let's just say they're growing on me."

She winked at Blake, who was still too stunned to even roll her eyes. Did the mission really go this badly? Vague recollections of being rushed to the Skyranger by her friends began to slowly trickle back into Blake's memory, but the scene unfolding before Blake implied something far worse than she could have ever imagined.

"What happened, Yang?"

The smile faded from her partner's face, "A lot of things did." Yang stood up and walked over to Blake's bed, smoothing out a space to sit down by her feet. Yang looked Blake directly in the eye, and the latter could see a great deal of pain in the former's expression.

"Do you remember anything?"

Blake wracked her memory, trying to recall the events of the mission, "I remember the infested whale… the signal transponder to call in the air strike… and I remember running to make it back to the Skyranger in time."

A raised eyebrow from Yang told her that she missed quite a few details, "Do you remember the Greater Hive Queen? That giant Chryssalid that made the whole mission go sideways?"

Just like that, the critical cog fell into place, and Blake's mind began to race.

"Bolts held it off. Killed it too, with the help of Ruby's PennySHIV." Blake heaved a sigh as she remembered the worst of it, "They both died in the effort."

Yang let out her own sigh, evidently unhappy with what Blake was able to recall, "Bolts didn't manage to kill the super chryssalid, he only knocked it out for a minute. Do you remember running past the zombies in the market square?" Blake thought for a moment before hesitantly nodding, and Yang continued, "Right after we cleared past them, the ground shook, and we all knew it was that awful monster getting back up."

"That's… not all that happened," Blake guessed, "Otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation in the medbay while wearing MEC limbs."

"Nope," She agreed. Yang looked down at the floor, trying to recall the next sequence of events without summoning the wave of emotions that came with it, "We knew that even though the Hive Queen still lived, we had enough of a lead to make it to the Skyranger and hightail it out of there before the damn thing caught up with us." Yang looked directly at Blake, her eyes filled with nothing but sorrow, "But then you got stabbed by a Chryssalid."

"I… what?" Blake sputtered. A Chryssalid stabbed her? When? She didn't remember that at all.

"It hid in one of those hanging sharks that were all over the town. If I had to guess, most of them probably had the stupid bugs, but we stopped close enough to this one for it to get the drop on you. Stabbed your arms and legs to pin you down, then pulled back one of its talons and stabbed you in the gut."

Blake reflexively brought a hand to her stomach, only to be reminded that what remained of her body lay encased in a plastic composite shell. Yang noticed the motion, and looked even more glum than before.

Blake's mind continued to race, "If Weiss's scratch during the base assault forced her to stay in the Medbay for three days…"

"It looked bad," She confirmed, answering Blake's implied question, "The doc did a bang-up job keeping everything together for you, but you really don't want to see what you looked like when we first brought you in."

Blake looked down at her arms, at her body suit, and remained silent for a solid minute. Yang began to fidget, struggling with the silence that Blake always seemed to enjoy. Of course, Yang knew her partner wasn't enjoying it now, but that didn't make the gap any less awkward for the extroverted huntress.

Finally, her partner broke the silence, "I never asked for this."

Of all the things Yang thought Blake might say, that certainly wasn't one of them, "What?"

"I understand that Vahlen and Shen wanted to save my life, but why a MEC? This isn't how I fight, Yang. I'm an agile huntress that sticks to the shadows, remaining unseen until I'm ready to strike. This…" She lifted her hand and flexed the mechanical fingers, "I can't fight like this. I'm useless." She turned to face her partner, aimless anger welling up behind her eyes, "Why did you do this?"

"… You were on death's door, Blake." Yang explained, still taken aback by her friend's reaction, "We tried gluing you up with the entire contents of your Medkit, but you still barely managed to make it to Vahlen's table." Yang let out a hollow laugh, "On board the Skyranger, the three of us didn't know why your Aura wasn't helping, but Vahlen figured it out almost immediately. Turns out, your Aura _was_ doing its best to heal you, but with five different wounds flooding you with toxins, its abilities got stretched pretty thin." Yang grabbed the scroll sitting on Blake's bedside, "The doctor remembered when we told her our scrolls could monitor Aura, and she had her orderly fetch one. Sure enough, we saw your Aura level steadily dropping as it tried to close up the wounds."

"So what happened?"

"Your limb wounds were putting a lot of strain on your ability to heal, both in terms of Aura and physiology, and the best your Aura could do was stop the toxins from making the situation worse. Your body slowly slipped into shock: the window of opportunity to help you grew smaller and smaller, and we still didn't have any way to pull you back. That's when Ruby made the call."

Blake glanced down at one of her arms and knew exactly what Yang meant, "If I didn't have any limbs for my Aura to heal, it could focus on the hole in my stomach."

Yang nodded, "Vahlen knew it would work. She'd saved more than one soldier from death by giving them the MEC treatment. Of course, they didn't have Chryssalid venom pumping through their bloodstreams." She took Blake's hand into both of her own and smiled, "We've been worried about you. This is your fifth day of recovery, and the first time you've woken up. I know the situation isn't ideal, but I'm glad I get to be the first to welcome you back."

The faunus considered Yang's news carefully, but remained unable to meet her gaze. While it looked like she couldn't do anything about her MEC situation, she still had a few questions that needed answering, "Two things. First, none of this explains why you have mechanical limbs. I understand that the situation became a life-or-death matter for me. I'm not happy with it… but I understand. On the other hand, you never mentioned anything about getting injured yourself."

Yang rubbed her neck and cast a sideways glance at Blake's feet, "Ah, yeah… that. When I found out that Ruby asked Vahlen to perform the surgery, I demanded that I go under the doctor's knife as well."

Blake's eyes burst as wide as they could, as if her body simply couldn't convey the intensity of her shock at Yang's words, "What?! Why?"

"Well, if you think back to before our first mission with XCOM, I _did_ say I'd be down to get MEC-ified if you also did it." She let out a nervous laugh, "But seriously, though, I did it because I'm your partner."

"That doesn't mean you have to get your arms and legs removed!" Blake practically shouted, "You threw away your identity as a huntress just because we're partners? If I died, would you have committed suicide?"

"My identity is more than my limbs, Blake. This is different," Yang's voice carried an air of firmness as she spoke, "You're not dead, but you _have_ undergone a drastic, life-changing transformation. We are partners," She repeated, "And what kind of partner would I be if I asked you to carry that burden alone?"

"That still doesn't-"

"Blake," Yang interrupted, and Blake saw a smoldering fire behind her friend's lilac eyes, "When we first came to Earth, and I told Weiss why I had to help fight, what would you have done if I asked you not to join up as well? What would you have said if I told you I was doing this alone?"

"I…" Blake paused, realizing what her knee-jerk answer would be. She sighed, "I would've told you 'I'm helping whether you like it or not.' "

Yang gave her a triumphant smile, "We're partners, Blake. I don't know what that means to you, but to me it means that I'm with you until the bitter end, no matter what happens. Maybe you don't see it the same way I do, and I can't blame you for that. But to me, it was a no-brainer. Now come on, Vahlen said she wants to see you once you woke up. I think it'd be pretty hilarious if you walked into her office and told her yourself."

"Wait," Blake grabbed Yang's arm to stop her from getting up, "One more thing. You said 'the three of you' onboard the Skyranger. Why didn't you say four?"

Yang's smile immediately vanished.

* * *

The silence at the Memorial Wall carried an air of utmost reverence as Ruby slowly stepped up and turned to face the congregated mass. While Van Doorn usually took it upon himself to provide a memorial speech for fallen operatives, he specifically asked Ruby to deliver this one. The young Lieutenant, while honored by the Field Commander's offer, required a good deal of coaxing before agreeing to take up the task. She feared that she wouldn't be able to give her speech without breaking down, or that she wouldn't do justice to the fallen with her words, something Van Doorn never had to worry about. Still, she knew that she owed it to them, as their commanding officer, to give the final parting words to remember them by.

So now here she stood, papers trembling in her less-than-steady hands, as she did one more quick run-through in her mind before starting. Her audience patiently waited for Ruby to begin, not one of them showing signs of boredom or annoyance at her hesitation. With a final deep breath, Ruby began to speak.

"I'd like to first thank all of you for patiently waiting while Sergeant Blake Belladonna recovered from her injuries to the point where she could attend this memorial. While those we are honoring with this service should have had their names on the wall five days ago, I think they'd have wanted the rest of the squad present for this.

"Gunnery Sergeant Elim 'Bolts' Gustavo was a very kind man during the short time I got to know him. Our first mission together was also our last, but his strength of character became evident even before the Skyranger touched down. Most of Strike Eight's flights happen in silence with the occasional joke or comment from one of our teammates breaking up the wait. Bolts, however, was more than happy to talk to us about anything and everything during the two hours it took for us to reach Newfoundland." She consulted her notes, "The youngest of seven born to two proud Mexican parents, Gustavo talked to us about the value family and how they should be cherished. Father of two…"

Ruby had to stop when she felt the choked sob try to stealthily work its way up her throat. She shut her eyes and willed herself back under control.

"Father of two, he spent a good ten minutes telling us they were the reason he didn't hesitate when the call came for volunteers to join the XCOM Project. Not only did he want them to grow up in a world not subjugated by an alien host, but he wanted to have children who could tell their friends 'My daddy fought for your freedom.' They were the heart and soul of who he was, and his inspiration on and off the battlefield."

She shuffled to the next page and took a deep breath before continuing, "It was an honor to serve with Elim Gustavo, even moreso when he willingly sacrificed his own life for the survival of the squad. It wasn't even an order: he assessed the situation and determined he alone could make a difference so that the rest of us might live." Another deep breath, "It brings me a small measure of comfort to believe that his final thoughts were of Sebastian and Mariana, hoping that they would be proud of him for saving others from harm."

Ruby put down her papers and picked up the Gunnery Sergeant's placard from the table next to her. She quietly walked over to the wall and hung it up so that Bolts could join his fallen comrades in the memories of those still living. She returned to face the crowd, picking up her notes once more. Her hands trembled worse now than five minutes ago. While she felt remorse for Bolts, she knew she could move on from it and carry on with XCOM's fight. Now that the "easy" part was over, Ruby didn't know if she could continue. Her right hand reached down and gripped the dog tags hanging from her hip.

 _Give these to Ruby when she comes to her senses. They can be a reminder of someone who never stopped believing in her the moment she was made leader of Strike Eight._

The tears threatened to fall even before she began her eulogy. No, this wouldn't do. She needed to be strong and get through the memorial. It was the least she could do to honor his memory. Steeling herself to the task at hand, Ruby started her second service.

"Major Xander 'Claymore' Vance had the pleasure of being one of the first soldiers at XCOM to greet my friends and me after the Hyperwave Incident. While I'm sure his first impression of us was a bit… rocky, to say the least, he soon became invaluable to us as an anchor in this unfamiliar world. For me in particular, he was a mentor. Not only did he have experience commanding a squad in life-or-death situations, but he served as my instructor and drillmaster while I trained as a sniper."

 _Don't worry, I'll personally train you in my stealthy ways when you join the Sniper club. Your aim is crazy good, Actual._

"The Major always had a word of encouragement or a clever qiup on the tip of his tongue. He had a knack for always keeping the rest of us in high spirits, even with plasma flying across the field. While XCOM's Central Officer had enough faith to put me in charge of Strike Eight, Vance gave me the confidence to believe Bradford was right. I may have been the official leader of Eight, but to me… it was his squad. Without the Major's advice and expertise, we would not be the coordinated team that we are today."

Ruby paused a moment to shuffle to her next page of notes. The silence also helped her keep control of her emotions, as all this talk of Vance dredged up various, unbidden memories of Ruby's friend and mentor.

"There is one lesson that he helped me learn on several occasions, and it's a lesson about sacrifice. When Corporal Biggs died on Strike Eight's first operation, it was the first time I'd lost someone under my command. The Major helped me overcome the shock by reminding me that Biggs willingly risked his life for the good of XCOM, and Earth as a whole. He reminded me that the best way to honor his sacrifice was to learn from it and move forward, striving to be a better soldier because of his loss."

 _Humanity's best, brightest, and bravest._ _We do what we must because we must, and Biggs was no different._

"He reminded me of this lesson again five days ago when we watched Gunnery Sergeant Gustavo die at the hands of the Greater Hive Queen. Bolts died so that we could escape to the Skyranger. He sacrificed his chance to see his children ever again so that we may live. And so rather than waste time trying to find a solution that could save him, we honored him by living to fight another day. A few short minutes later, Major Vance asked us to do the same thing."

 _Ruby, get your friends to the Skyranger. I'm going to make sure you get there without further problems._

"While he's not here to remind me to make the most of his sacrifice, he doesn't need to be," Ruby continued, trying to drown out the memory of her last moments with the Major, "To him, actions spoke louder than words, and there is only one action I can think of that could possibly do justice to the memory of Xander Vance."

She lowered her notes and looked out at her solemn audience. Her eyes settled on Weiss, and she saw encouragement shine through her best friend's eyes. The four huntresses of RWBY met several hours after Blake's recovery to discuss this issue, and it relieved Ruby to know that her friends almost instantly came to a unanimous agreement.

"So I stand here today to tell you that we're all in this together. For one reason or another, the brave men and women of this operation believe in us, and several have died to defend that belief. The only way we can think of to honor that faith is to fight alongside you all until the bitter end. Whatever happens tomorrow, next week, or the month after, we will fight with you." She put down her notes, closed her eyes, and let out a soft sigh, "Major Vance would have wanted nothing less."

The somber notes of the bagpipes escorted Ruby as she walked down from the wall to rejoin her friends. She took up her position next to Weiss, and the room's occupants held a moment of silence as the service concluded for Gunnery Sergeant Gustavo and Major Vance.

* * *

"Alright Wolverine, let's do this!"

Blake sighed. The buzzer sounded to mark the drill's start, and the Scout (Pathfinder now, Blake reminded herself) began stomping down the hall in her agile MEC-6 Vanguard suit, picking up speed as she ran. Within a few seconds, Blake reached her suit's maximum speed, the servos silently working as they launched her forward. A low bridge served as the first roadblock, forcing her into a steep slide to avoid crashing into it. The reinforced skid plates along her suits hip and forearm allowed Blake to smoothly and quietly glide along the floor with very little loss in momentum. Blake winced as she made a minor miscalculation, resulting in her suit clipping the bridge and yanking some of the concrete free as the MEC continued forward. Once clear, Blake rolled back to her feet and continued running. The motion was far from perfect, but Blake only had a day of getting comfortable with the MEC so far, and she knew that coming to terms with the suit would take much longer than that.

'Wolverine.' Yang kept trying to gain traction for the new nickname ever since the group's latest adventure to the bar. Conor pointed out that Wolverine was basically Sabertooth, but with metal implants and modifications. Blake already knew this, having done some research of her own on the X-Men after she initially earned her nickname, but didn't share the Irishman's enthusiasm for the name switch. As childish as it sounded, her attachment to Sabertooth stemmed from the fact that Vance liked it. In her own little way, Sabertooth became a small connection she had to the Major, and Blake didn't feel like giving it up simply because Wolverine could grow 'super badass' metal claws.

A dead end became her next obstacle. Sure, Blake could use the Jetboot Module that came with her Vanguard, but that would defeat much of the agility test's purpose. Instead, she examined the wall as she rapidly approached it, determining its height and the arrangement of nearby structures. Blake plotted out the optimal path in her head and continued her maximum-speed run towards the target. With only ten feet left, Blake activated her Aura module threw all of her force into a jump. She connected with the wall at a height far greater than what should have been possible for a MEC, and used the remains of her forward momentum to propel herself several more steps so that she could grab the top lip of a nearby wall.

At least, that was the plan. Instead, her leap fell several feet short, and so she slammed into the wall chest-first, wincing at the impact. Her momentum completely gone, Blake's MEC slid down the wall until she found a foothold in the form of a "window" along the wall. Blake looked over her shoulder and saw a roof lip she could probably reach from her current position, and realized she could jump to her intended target from there. She jumped, twisted around to grab the roof… and missed, sighing as her suit slid back down to the floor. Blake activated her Jetboot Module in defeat, jumped to the top of the original structure, and resumed her progress through the course. As she returned to her top running speed, Blake glanced down at a small readout on the inside of her suit and allowed herself a tiny smile.

 _Aura module recharge: 15%_

Even though she still hated her new MEC-related situation, the one upside of her new gear was its ability to carry much more powerful (and therefore much heavier) equipment. With weight limitations restricting Dr. Vahlen's initial attempt at an anti-suppression module, the best she could come up with was a device that burned out after one use. While better than nothing, the once-per-op nature of the module made the huntresses wary about using it. Was now the best time to draw from its power? What if another situation cropped up later in the operation that _really_ needed an application of Aura? That all changed when Vahlen had the luxury of space and weight afforded by the powerful MEC suits Blake and Yang now wore.

The Pathfinder slowed to a halt when she saw the large 'X' marked in the concrete down below. Blake pulled out her gun, a new prototype far less bulky than the usual Railgun or Pulse Lance that MECs typically carried into combat. It didn't pack quite as big a punch as its predecessors, but its sleek form let Blake keep it safely stowed and out of the way during her free running. Not only that, but it provided great versatility in the roles it could fill. Blake toggled an attachment on the rifle's stock to activate its linked targeting fire mode. An extremely faint marker light rested on the center of Blake's 'prey.'

"Four, I need a grenade at my location."

"Copy that!" Yang cheerfully replied. From the far end of the room, Blake heard a muted _thud_ , and watched as a small projectile arced high into the air before streaking back down towards Blake's marker. The dud bounced harmlessly off of the X, but left behind a paint splatter that served as evidence of the successful coordination between the two MEC soldiers. With the 'target' taken care of, Blake moved on. At least the MEC 'upgrade' didn't strip the huntress of her ability to aim a gun.

The drill continued for another few minutes, allowing Blake to slowly learn the physical capabilities of her new frame with and without the assistance of her Aura. Twice more she called upon Yang to bombard her target, and her partner hit the target both times with impressive accuracy. By the time Blake worked her way through the course, she felt a little better about piloting the MEC. She still couldn't perform the insane acrobatic feats that Yang seemed to expect, but at least she didn't have to worry about tripping over her own legs in a fight.

Blake hesitated when she reached her last target: Yang. Her partner flashed a cocky grin and waggled her eyebrows. Standing tall in a MEC-5 Devastator suit, with her Juggernaut plating fully deployed, the Rocketeer (or 'Archer') lifted one arm and waved her fingers tauntingly in a 'come at me' manner. Once more, Blake's servos sprang to life as she started to sprint towards Yang. She easily reached her top speed, but knew that she needed to go faster. Blake angled herself down mid-stride and activated the Vanguard's Jetboot Module once more. With the soles of her mechanized feet angled away from the ground, the force of the module's engines firing pushed Blake forward. Combined with the new Drifter Jets located in key points along the back of her suit, the additional Elerium-aided momentum propelled Blake to ludicrous speeds. As the rockets in her boots, back, and shoulders screamed, Blake started closing the distance between herself and Yang at a much more alarming pace. With only a few seconds to spare, Blake activated her Aura module and focused on routing as much energy as she could into her suit's head, shoulders, and the forearm, shielding them.

The two collided, but the force of Blake's MEC-turned-projectile didn't send Yang toppling over. Instead, the Devastator managed to hold its ground, and Blake could easily feel the impressive volume of Yang's aura frontloaded into the suit's arm. While Yang easily filled the role of an immovable body, Blake didn't quite succeed at becoming the unstoppable force. Yang's Aura shield deflected Blake as if she were a bullet, and the Vanguard suit flew head over heels behind Yang, bouncing off the concrete floor several times before skidding to an embarrassingly loud halt. Blake didn't feel any pain, but made no effort to get back up. As if to add insult to injury, cacophonous cheering erupted from around the hall as the stunned audience finally found its voice.

Amid cries of 'Holy shit, that was awesome' and 'Fuck yeah, Xiao Long's a badass!' Blake felt the vibrations of her partner approaching. While staring impassively at the ceiling, Blake watched Yang step into her field of view and offer her a helping hand. After allowing Yang to pull her up, Blake inspected her suit. Aside from some heavy denting and several scratches, the Vanguard suffered no system-critical damage. Yang's Devastator, she noted, looked almost completely fine.

"I don't know about you, Blake," Yang started, a grin still plastered on her face, "But I think I could get used to the MEC life."

"It's going to take some more time for me to adapt to MEC combat," Blake admitted with a sigh, "What did Bradford have you do when I didn't need you to test out the precision strike technology during my run?" She knew that Ruby and Shen developed tech for both the mobile and defensive-oriented frames, so she highly doubted that Bradford would let Yang wait around doing nothing until Blake called upon her.

"Oh, you know… stuff." Yang gestured behind her, and Blake noticed a large pile of concrete, scrap metal, and dead aliens surrounded by a large volume of scorch marks in the cement, "As it turns out, that Juggernaut plating can take a serious beating when it's reinforced by Aura."

Blake nodded, "I'm glad you're having fun at least."

Yang playfully punched Blake's shoulder, accidentally adding yet another dent to Blake's suit, "You'll get better as we keep practicing. Just you watch, you'll become Sergeant Blake Belladonna: The Warrior in the Machine. Why don't we grab some food from the kitchen before having a little more fun with these suits?" Yang winked, "We could probably make a killing in bets on robo fights."

"Dueling is prohibited under Rule 41, while Rule 111 forbids betting. Beyond that, our first match has effectively demonstrated how much better your are than I am at this. Everyone would bet on you without question. Food sounds good though."

"Spoil sport." Yang muttered as she followed Blake to the cafeteria. She didn't know how long it would take Blake to get over their new situation, but Yang was determined to do everything in her power to help her partner get back to her old self. Neither Hell nor high water would stop her.

* * *

A/N: Alright, no joke: I originally had no intention of MEC-ing any of the RWBY girls, because I didn't know how they'd deal with getting their non-existent limbs after the XCOM war concluded. But then... I thought of that _bitching_ chapter title, and I knew I had no choice but get used to the idea of slapping Blake into a MEC suit. I've been giddy about revealing this pun for literally months now, so y'all better enjoy the hell out of it.

But seriously, I've also got actual reasons for MEC-ing half of RWBY. The decision wasn't willy-nilly and decided solely by the (awesome) pun.


	18. Into The Breach

In the following weeks, the members of RWBY spent most of their time at the anthill. Bradford dispatched Strike Eight on only one mission during that period, mostly as a gesture to give them time to grieve the loss of Vance, but the huntresses chose other ways to contribute to the war effort. Ruby kicked herself into overdrive down in Engineering, providing Shen with countless hours of work developing new designs or manufacturing approved hardware. More than once, the Chief Engineer found himself telling Ruby to go get some sleep in the barracks. To him, Vance's death put the devil inside of his friend, and the only way she believed she could seek atonement was to produce as many mechanical advantages as possible for the operatives of XCOM. While it made Shen happy to see the young girl so passionate about engineering, it saddened him to know that Ruby had seemingly forgotten her potential as an incredible morale boost for XCOM's operatives. For now, he decided to let her work out her issues in a way that made her comfortable, but he decided that a talk might be necessary if her current habits persisted for much longer.

Weiss, as the heiress of Remnant's most powerful Dust company, lent her knowledge and expertise to Vahlen's efforts in researching the mysterious resource. Truthfully, while her family held a ridiculous amount of information regarding the extraction and use of Dust, she encountered few, if any, texts or references on the subject of Dust composition or manufacture during her years of extensive education. After Vahlen gave Weiss a full tour of all her analytical equipment, Ruby's partner quickly set to work running tests and scans she believed to be the most beneficial for timely research. Her own professional curiosity spurred her onward just as much as the need for a new advantage against the aliens. By using her experience and intuition to act as Vahlen's premier expert in Dust analysis, Weiss allowed the Chief Scientist to focus on other critical avenues of study, such as the all-important Hyperwave Event.

Blake and Yang split their time between adapting to their new MEC hardware and offering their own brand of in-house assistance. Together, the partners learned how to pilot their MECs and adapt to their new classes, with Yang catching on much faster than Blake. Despite the latter's sour attitude towards her present condition, Yang's optimism and incredible patience certainly helped Blake adapt to MEC warfare. Only days after the start of their training, the two learned how easily their new skillsets synergized with one another. As a Pathfinder, Blake filled the role of a mobile spotter and hit-and-run unit. Even though Blake's old biological form easily outclassed the multi-ton hardware in terms of mobility, technical advances and Ruby's research into improved systems drastically improved the MECs mobility over the first few variants Shen manufactured in the early days of XCOM. Yang's sturdier, but slower, suit helped her fill the role of long-range bombardment. While she missed the comforting feel of her old rocket tube, the new grenade launcher and proximity mine thrower more than made up for the loss. The duo practiced using Blake's scouting capabilities and targeting hardware to spot for Yang and determine the best location to strike for maximum damage. After the Archer did her work, the Pathfinder would move in to mop up whatever managed to survive the initial salvo.

In between MEC training sessions with Yang, Blake utilized her knowledge as a master infiltrator from her time with Adam and the White Fang to offer advice and instruction to Scouts and recon operatives slated to spy on EXALT cells. XCOM's soldiers enjoyed reasonable success thus far without her, but Blake noticed several areas that could use improvement when she began spending her free time reviewing operation tapes and audio. While her new augments prohibited her from joining covert ops herself, she found that training with extraction teams in the live fire facilities allowed her retain a small aspect of her old fighting style.

Yang, more accustomed to using her physical strength to help solve problems, joined Shen's manufacturing crews on the Engineering floor. While automation served as the primary method of fabrication, certain processes required a manual touch… or punch, as the case may be. Careful to avoid damaging her augments from excessive strain, Yang happily spent her non-lounge time cutting, hammering, and melting components in accordance with Shen's instructions. Yang didn't quite have the mechanical aptitude of her sister, but her skills as a machinist sufficed for the work given to her. More than once, she used her pull with Bradford to greenlight the use of her MEC suit to help with heavy lifting down in Engineering. As a side benefit, Yang got to spend more time with her sister, who seemed to never leave Shen's facility.

Despite all of the work, the progress, and the improvement, Ruby still fell deeper and deeper into her little world of weapon design and modification. As time wore on, she spent less time with her friends and more with her work. From Ruby's perspective, finding solutions to mechanical problems in Engineering provided a perfectly good outlet for relieving stress. Why spend time drinking in a loud bar when she could be doing something productive _and_ enjoyable? Dr. Shen's concern for Ruby reached a breaking point when the Lieutenant nodded off to sleep while operating a high-speed mill. Fortunately, one of the technicians on duty noticed before anything catastrophic happened, but the event prompted a private meeting between Shen, Vahlen, and Bradford.

* * *

Vahlen joined the Chief Engineer and Central Officer at the table in Dr. Shen's office, handing her friend a steaming cup of tea before turning to Bradford, "This is dangerous, Bradford. Why haven't you been sending Strike Eight out on more missions?"

Bradford noted the irony in the idea that leaving an operative in the base was more dangerous than sending her on an operation against deadly aliens, "I've tried, doctor," Bradford defended, "When I do manage to get the attention of Lieutenant Rose, which is becoming rarer and rarer, she contradicts me once I request her team for an op. She'll cite that she's really close to some sort of design breakthrough, or that she needs to oversee the production and testing of a new upgrade, and end the conversation by saying she'll happily volunteer for the next op after this one. Rinse and repeat. I made the mistake of giving her a week to grieve for the Major, and she spent that time getting caught this mental spiral to the point where she's failing to escape."

Shen took a slow sip of his drink and savored the flavor, contemplating what he should say, "This is indeed troubling. However, I do not think you have yourself to blame. You did what any compassionate soul would do, and let Miss Rose attempt to handle the loss in her own way with ample time. I don't think any of us could have forseen this as the result." He looked down into his cup and frowned, "Of the three of us, I think we can safely say that I know her the most, and _I_ certainly didn't see this coming."

Bradford sighed, "The question, then, is what do we do? This can't go on any longer. Even if we had no tactical motivation to pull her out of this funk, I feel like we'd still have a moral obligation to do so."

"You mention motivation, Bradford." Shen commented, stroking his chin, "That may be the answer to our problem."

Both of his companions gave him a curious look, but Vahlen spoke up first, "What do you mean, Shen?"

"It is evident that the Major's death hit Ruby hard. We can all agree on that. However, this is not apparent to Ruby herself, nor to her companions. They have followed her lead, and found ways to contribute to XCOM outside of operative duty. While their level of dedication to their new roles is more… reasonable than the Lieutenant's, they do not have an outside perspective to realize how dangerous her condition is. Like us, they believe they're doing the right thing by giving Ruby time to sort out her own emotions. What we need," Shen continued, "Is to provide an outside perspective for our young friends and help them realize that where they can help us most is on the battlefield."

"And how, pray tell, do you intend to do that?" Vahlen asked.

Shen sighed, "I'm not quite sure yet."

"I might have an idea," Bradford cut in. "Over the past few months, I'm sure we've all had our fair share of conversations with the Remnant huntresses. We know they go to a combat school known as Beacon, we know that all students at Beacon are split into teams…" He stared directly at Vahlen, "And we know that Ruby's team is especially close to another freshman team known as 'Juniper.'"

Silence briefly reigned over the room, and the faint whirrs of manufacturing drifted in from beyond Shen's office. Vahlen picked up on the implications of Bradford's words almost instantly, but she was hesitant to believe the sincerity of his plan, "You're asking me to pull another group of teenagers through the relay, when we haven't even reached a point where it's possible to send the first group back?"

"I am, Doctor," The Central Officer answered evenly, "And I will tell you why in a moment. But first thing's first: can you do it?"

Bradford's blunt admission left Vahlen somewhat flustered, "I… well, yes. With the Lieutenant doing so much to advance our capabilities in the war, I've had plenty of time to continue my research on the Hyperwave Event. Ruby and I successfully transmitted and received data streams from one of her contacts on Remnant a week and a half ago, and my research since then suggests that pulling physical entities from Remnant to Earth is well within our current capabilities-"

"Then why can't we send Ruby and her associates back through?" Shen interrupted. "I understand that they have promised to help us until the end, but I'd rather not have their deaths on my conscience if I knew we had the capability to return them to their own world weeks or months before their demise."

Vahlen sighed. "It's not that simple, my friend. Think of the relay as one half of a magnet sitting at the bottom of a small well. If the other half is sitting at the lip, a small magnetic tug is enough to tip the entity over the edge and let gravity do the rest of the work. Conversely, if the mobile half lay at the bottom of the well with the relay, and we switched the polarity so the two halves repulsed one another, our half would have to output considerably more magnetic force to overcome the gravitational component acting against it. Unless I find a way to reduce the 'gravity' of the Hyperwave Relay Event, the power required to send more than data or atomic particles through would be… immense."

"I see," Shen answered. He understood Vahlen's explanation perfectly, but did not like what it meant for their mutual friends in Strike Eight. With the war taking up so much of XCOM's resources, sending Ruby and her friends back through to Remnant was impossible until after the invasion could be totally dealt with. He turned his attention back to Bradford, "You said you have a valid reason for wanting to drag this 'Team Juniper' into our fight?"

Bradford nodded, "I do. After Ruby and Vahlen made initial contact with Remnant via digital comms, Ruby continued to trade data with her friend on the other side. Of course, unmonitored communication could potentially result in a security breach, so the Lieutenant agreed to have her communications recorded and closely watched for any piggy-backed signals."

"I see," Vahlen replied, "And am I correct in assuming that your justification lies within this communication?"

"You are," Bradford confirmed, "I think you'll find this to be rather interesting."

He pulled out a datapad and opened up a file, allowing his associates to read the conversation contained within.

 _Jaune! Oh, I'm so glad you received that message._

 _Where are you, Ruby? Ozpin has given my team permission to assist and extract you from that portal if the opportunity ever came up. Can you help us find you?_

 _Well… the answer is a little more complicated than you think, Jaune. We're safe, though!_

"Interesting how she completely leaves out the situation with Sergeants Belladonna and Xiao Long." Shen observed, "I doubt that Jaune would consider that to be 'safe' by any means."

 _Ruby. Can you help us find you?_

 _You're serious, aren't you?_

 _I am._

 _Well, there's nothing you can do at the moment. But I'll let you know as soon as I hear differently! Honestly, though… while I miss you guys, we're doing fine on our own. I don't want to drag you into the mess we're in._

 _Doesn't matter, Ruby. Friends help each other out no matter what. If you figure out a way to help us reach you, I want you to tell me first thing. We'll be there as soon as possible, okay?_

 _I understand, Jaune. And thanks… it means a lot to know we've got friends like you._

"Well…" Shen mused, "I've heard Ruby talk about Jaune once or twice, but I had no idea he was this… dedicated as a friend. Maybe his interest goes beyond friendship?"

"Nope." Vahlen answered, "Trust me, I've also heard about Jaune from Weiss. He's been trying to get her to date him since the two first met. She admits he dialed back his efforts considerably in the last month or so before she came to Earth, but he's still got eyes for her, it seems."

"Either way," Bradford interrupted, "The point is that Jaune seems to speak for his team when he says they're ready and willing to help Ruby as soon as the opportunity arises. And from what Vahlen has just told us, it sounds like that opportunity is finally here."

Shen scratched his head, his expression conflicted, "I'm still not entirely certain I agree with this plan, but Jaune does seem to be very intent on helping Ruby and her team. I'm hesitant to admit it, but he also just might be the motivation Ruby needs to get out of her slump, which was the whole point of this meeting in the first place."

Vahlen shared Shen's sentiments about the moral ambiguity of the plan, but could not deny the logic behind it, "Very well. I have spent enough time studying the huntress's scrolls to send communications of our own to one, and my test with Ruby has given me the digital address of Jaune's device. Shall we get this over with?"

Bradford nodded. "We'll have a small contingent of soldiers present at the Hyperwave Relay to greet JNPR, but it won't be anything like our first contact with Ruby and her friends. Make the call."

* * *

"Mister Arc, it's three in the morning, so I trust your reason for calling me at this hour has something to do with our mutual friend?"

"Yes, sir," Jaune answered, as he watched Ozpin's face appear before him on his scroll's screen, "Remember yesterday when I told you about the communication I had with Ruby? Well, I've received another message."

The headmaster raised a curious eyebrow, "Oh?"

"It said my team should go back to the clearing where I first saw RWBY disappear through the portal, and that we should see it again. If not, we just have to wait two hours before they pulse it open. We miss that pulse, and we wait another two for the next, and so on. From the sound of it, there's a really heavy energy drain required to keep the portal active, so there's only a small window in which we can go through."

"Then I suggest you gather your team and make your way to the clearing as soon as possible, Jaune."

"We're already here!" Nora shouted cheerily in the background, "No portal yet, though."

Ozpin smiled at Nora's enthusiasm, "Excellent. From the sounds of the last communication, RWBY isn't in any imminent danger, but I am sure they could use your help in returning safely. Is that all, Jaune?"

"Just one more thing, sir. The message I got wasn't from Ruby."

Ozpin's eyes narrowed on Jaune's screen, and the young Arc winced slightly, "You probably should have led off with that information, Jaune. Who sent it?"

"Someone called Bradford. He said he's with a group called XCOM, and that they're working with RWBY."

"Interesting…" Ozpin mused, his expression softening slightly, "Well, we heard from Ruby yesterday, which tells me that her team is safe under this XCOM's care. Be cautious, Jaune, but the mission remains the same. When that portal opens up, do whatever it takes to help Team RWBY return safely."

"Thank you sir."

"You can count on us!" Nora added with a salute.

"Indeed," Pyrrha chimed in, "Jaune's a great leader. I'm confident that we'll get Team RWBY back in no time."

Ozpin nodded, offering a small salute back at Nora, "Very well. Good luck, JNPR. Something tells me that you may need it."

* * *

"It's been six hours, sir."

"Patience, Corporal McAuley," Bradford responded, "It's not like you've been standing here the entire time. Standing ready for five minutes every two hours isn't exactly tiring work."

Secretly, Bradford also began to worry about JNPR. Considering how adamant Jaune seemed about helping Ruby and her friends, the Central Officer assumed the young man would be stepping through that portal the moment it opened. After the first five minutes without any newcomers, Bradford wrote it off as the team failing to reach the portal in time. Surely they could make it to the clearing in two hours though, so he once again prepared himself for first contact when Vahlen opened the portal for the second time.

And then again for the third time.

Now he stood before the Hyperwave Relay with his Chief Scientist and Engineer and six operatives hoping that the fourth time would be the charm.

"… Jaune _did_ get the message, right?" Vahlen asked hesitantly. It seemed like a foolish and obvious question, but worse things had happened due to a lack of double-checking. Like when Bradford lost half of Strike Three due to the elerium cores in their grenades getting swapped out with potatoes, for example.

Bradford nodded in affirmation, "Yes. I received a response from him before asking you to start the process of firing up the Relay. He said that his team would head there ASAP."

"Maybe the field is a lot further from Beacon than we previously anticipated?" Shen suggested, "What if Ruby's team was sent there on a mission, and it's actually a day's journey from the school?"

"It's possible, but I'd like to think that this Jaune would be smart enough to advise me of such a delay once I told him we'd start pulsing the portal half an hour after confirming he received the message."

The aging engineer shrugged, "Then all we can do is hope for the best. Something must be holding them up."

"Indeed. Let's hope it doesn't hold them up much long-"

The coloration of the portal above the Hyperwave Relay shifted from a dull purple to a much more vibrant hue. Shortly thereafter, Bradford's staff heard the sound of a young woman excitedly squealing before two figures came tumbling out of the aperture and crashing on top of one another while their bags and cases clattered across the floor. The Central Officer winced slightly when the young woman sandwiched a lean-looking boy between herself and the concrete floor. A moment of stunned silence followed while the two worked to untangle themselves from each other and the ground, followed by the energetic half of the duo leaping to her feet and punching a triumphant fist into the air.

"See Ren? I _told_ you we'd beat Pyrrha and Jaune through the portal thing! How could we lose when you've got me on your side?"

Bradford gave a slight nod to McAuley, who quietly slipped out of the room.

"It wasn't a race, Nora," Ren groaned, a hand gingerly massaging his face as he slowly got to his feet and scanned the room for his lost belongings, "You only assumed it was when Jaune said 'there it is!' and pointed to the portal." He pulled his hand away from his face, and his eyebrows shot up in surprise when he saw blood on his fingers.

"Semantics," responded Nora, "Besides, I'm excited about seeing our friends as soon as possible! Beacon's been so _boring_ without them. Oh look! People!" Bradford couldn't help but smirk slightly when Nora pointed at him.

"Took you long enough to notice." He nodded in turn at both of the newcomers, "Welcome to XCOM, Miss Valkyrie, Mister Lie."

The young man, still intrigued by the sight of his own blood gave Bradford a slight bow, "A pleasure, sir. If you don't mind, though… Nora and Ren will be sufficient."

"Fair enough. If I may ask, Ren… is the other half of your team on the way?"

Ren raised a curious eyebrow, "You're rather well-informed, Mister…?"

"Bradford, Central Officer here at XCOM."

"They should be right behind us, Mister Bradford!" Nora interjected.

Ren cast a glance back at the portal still open above the Relay, "I'm surprised they haven't shown up yet." The young man returned his attention back to Bradford, "Are you sure this portal is safe?"

Bradford cast a glance over at Vahlen. Do they tell the truth? The Central Officer decided that starting off XCOM and JNPR's relationship with dishonesty would be a bad idea, "To be frank, we're still learning about the Hyperway Relay ourselves. It ended up in our possession about five months ago, and we've been working to unlock its secrets ever since. However, we've had three 'transfers,' if you will, and all were successful, so I doubt your friends are lost. Maybe something happened on the other end that caused them to hesitate?"

Nora, who busied herself with checking over their bags while Bradford talked, pointed back at the portal, "Hey, is it supposed to change color like that?"

Bradford looked up, saw that the portal had indeed shifted to a brighter variant of purple, and smiled, "Unless I'm gravely mistaken, that should solve our present issue."

The portal spit out two more figures before reverting to its usual dull shade of violet. The pair fell to the floor, and while the young man with a head of messy blonde hair slammed unceremoniously into the concrete, the woman with him gracefully landed on her foot, knee, and fist. Bradford noted that the spear in one hand and shield in the other, along with the stylistic choices in the armor she wore, reminded him of an ancient Greek warrior. Upon further reflection, Ren's attire was reminiscent of traditional Chinese culture. He quickly reigned in his thoughts while he watched the Remnant huntress stand up before standing up to brush herself off. He had more pressing matters at hand than occupying his thoughts with the cultural origins of his guests.

The Central Officer let out a low, impressed whistle at the young woman's graceful landing, "You must be Miss Nikos…?"

Pyrrha nodded, "Indeed I am!" She stowed her armaments and offered a hand to Bradford, who took it in a firm shake.

"Central Officer Bradford. A pleasure to meet you." Bradford looked over at the groaning mass still laying on the floor, "Will he be alright?"

The huntress let out a small 'oh!' when she realized that Jaune hadn't recovered yet. She quickly rushed to his side and helped him to his feet, "Jaune! Are you okay?" She gave him a once over before her eyes widened in shock, "Jaune, you're bleeding!"

"Hurray for Team Y Chromosome." Ren muttered with a sigh.

"I'm alright, Pyrrha. It's probably just a scratch." Jaune dusted off his pants before standing up to his full height and turning to greet the Central Officer, "I'm Jaune Arc. I'm guessing you're the one that messaged me?"

"Yes," Bradford confirmed, "Lieutenant Rose is… a bit caught up with some work right now, so we-"

"Lieutenant?!" Jaune exclaimed, "I'm not exactly surprised, but wow, that's still pretty quick!"

"Getting a little jealous, O' Fearless Leader?" Nora jabbed playfully while she took stock of the new bags brought in by Jaune and Pyrrha.

"N-no! Just impressed is all."

"Now that you mention our friend," Pyrrha interrupted, "Where is team RWBY? You told Jaune that they're working with you…?"

"Yes. Lieutenant Rose is currently getting some much-needed rest, but the others…" Bradford trailed off and checked his watch. The sound of thunderous footsteps signified Ruby's team rounding the corner, bringing a smile to Bradford's face.

"Pyrrha?"

"Jaune?!"

"Weiss!"

" _NORA!_ "

Ren gave Nora a firm jab in the ribs, "Stop that."

"Seriously, though," Yang said with a slight hint of awe in her voice, "What are you guys doing here? How did you guys _get_ here?"

"We're here to help!" Jaune answered, his puffed chest reminiscent of the last time RWBY saw him before this whole mess began, "Whatever problem you've got, we're here to help you solve it and get you back to Beacon."

The three huntresses from RWBY exchanged glances with Bradford, "You haven't told them yet, have you?" Weiss asked accusingly.

Bradford held his hands up in defense, "Hey, they just got here."

Blake sighed and turned back to address JNPR, "The problem we've got is twofold: first, this is not even Remnant, but a planet called Earth; second, Earth is in the middle of fighting off an invasion, and Dr. Vahlen back here," Blake jabbed a thumb over at the Chief Scientist, "is unable to devote enough time and resources to a return trip for us until the invasion has been dealt with."

A glazed expression crossed over the faces of each members of JNPR by the time Blake finished, though not for the reason she expected, "Blake… uh… your, umm, arm… it's…" Jaune stammered out.

"You got… robot arms?" Even Nora, usually chipper to the point of annoying her companions, looked confused and concerned. "Why do you have robot arms?"

"Oh, that!" Yang exclaimed, stepping up and hanging an arm around Blake's shoulders, "Couple of weeks ago, Blake got stabbed by a venomous, hate-fueled alien abomination in the gut, and the only way we could save her was to cut off her arms and legs!" She held up her own arm as if she was flexing it, "As you can see, I figured it'd be wrong to let Blake be the only one to have robo-limbs, so I got myself a set too. Pretty neat, huh?"

Jaune's expression shifted from confused, to worried, to downright terrified. "Ruby said you guys were fine when I talked to her yesterday! This is not fine! This is very much far from fine! Why didn't she mention stabbings and limbs and stuff?"

"There's a bigger issue than that, I think." Pyrrha interrupted, "You said this happened several weeks ago?"

Yang raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, why?"

The members of JNPR traded looks with each other before Pyrrha spoke again, "That's… not possible, Yang. Your team has only been gone for seven days."

Silence fell between the two groups as everyone tried to process this new information.

"Aaaaaaaand by seven days, you _actually_ mean three months. Because we've been here for three months." Weiss stated, though her words were full of uncertainty.

Jaune shook his head, "Seven days, Weiss. You guys have only been gone for a week."

"But that's impossible!" Weiss cried, "We've been here for three months! Three months of fighting aliens and being away from home! You can't honestly tell me that eleven of those twelve weeks have been a figment of our imaginations, can you?"

"If I may," Vahlen cut in, "While this development is certainly interesting, it's not at all outside the realm of possibility. We'll investigate the anomaly in more detail when we have time, but for now I believe it's very likely that you're both right."

"… Right. Weirder things have happened, I guess." Yang admitted, "In any case, to answer your original question, Jaune: we're fine. The stabby thing was pretty bad, I'll admit, but the MEC treatment came with some pretty sick perks."

Jaune still didn't look convinced, but he decided to drop the matter for now, "Alright. So are you sure we can't see Ruby? Officer Bradford said she's getting some rest, but it feels kinda wrong to have this little reunion without her."

"Yeah!" Nora interjected, "I miss my sugar rush buddy! And she can brag to Jaune about all the cool stuff she did to become a Lieutenant!"

Bradford suppressed a smile. Their conversation steered itself onto his desired topic without any intervention necessary, "I have to give Miss Rose credit: she's an extremely driven young woman. The only downside is that she's sometimes a little _too_ driven, and she's currently under orders by me to get some rest after working herself too hard for the past few days. However," he added, seeing the disappointed looks on the faces of JNPR, "I suppose she's slept long enough to warrant a visit from some friends she hasn't seen in months."

Even if he had no ulterior motive to do so, the Central Officer knew he made the right choice once he saw the genuine smile on Jaune's face. Romantic feelings or no, Jaune certainly held Ruby in high esteem. After working with the young woman for three months, Bradford had no trouble understanding why. The newcomers grabbed their bags, slung them over their shoulders, and turned to Bradford.

"Lead the way."

* * *

"Ruby?" Yang nudged the pile of blankets hiding her sister. Only an unruly mop of dark hair stuck out, proving that it was indeed the young leader of RWBY buried within.

"Mmmphh."

"C'mon, Ruby."

A hand shot out to smack Yang's finger away, then immediately retreated back under the blankets, "Mmmmm g'way, Yang."

"You've got some friends here to see you, Rubes."

Ruby rolled over, eyes still shut, "Weiss can g'way, too."

"Hey!"

Even though she remained prone, Jaune realized Bradford wasn't kidding about how fatigued Ruby looked. Bags under her eyes, a weary expression… and were those tears? Something didn't seem to add up for the youngest Arc, and it started to worry him.

"What if I told you that JNPR was here to see you?"

Ruby pulled the blankets up higher, once again burying her face beneath the warm fabric, "… Liar."

"Nope! The only Lie here is Ren."

" _Yang, why do you do this._ "

"She's right, though, Ruby. Ren is here."

Ruby's bloodshot eyes flew wide open at the sound of Jaune's voice. She bolted upright and looked wildly around at the ten faces staring back at her, a mixture of amusement and concern on each. Along with Bradford, Shen, Vahlen, and Ruby's teammates, she saw all four members of JNPR standing at the foot of her bed.

Ruby, still struggling with the spectre of sleep, failed to form a coherent sentence, "I… umm… what?"

"Ruby!" Nora shouted happily, launching herself at the sitting girl. "We're here to help!"

"I see." Came Ruby's muffled reply from under Nora's chest, "Can I breathe, Nora?"

"Sure!" Nora pulled back and sat cross-legged at the foot of Ruby's bed. "So how can we help? We brought a month's worth of supplies," Nora started counting on her fingers, "Ammo, spare parts, medical equipment, food rations… we're pretty well equipped to go hunting!"

Weiss raised an eyebrow, "A month's worth of supplies? It sounds like you guys were expecting to come through and meet up with us."

"Well, yeah." Jaune answered, as if stating the obvious, "I told Ruby that the moment you guys find a way to get us through, we'd be here in a heartbeat." He kicked the heavy case resting at his feet, "We've been carrying this stuff around for six days now. Ozpin's orders."

"Should've guessed the old coot would suggest that." Blake commented, "After all, he _did_ bend the rules for us on our first official mission. While probably a little more dangerous, this situation isn't really all that different."

Nora returned to questioning Ruby, "So what? Do we go out and find bad aliens? Do we hunt them down and kill them? Do we get to break their legs?!"

Ruby rubbed her eyes, winced slightly at the dampness that came away on her hands, and answered Nora, "Uhh… sure, yes, and probably not."

"Great! When do we get started?"

"Well… you probably have to spend some time training with XCOM's tech."

Nora laughed, "Pfft, no we don't! We told you that we came prepped for a month! You think we would've brought food, medical supplies, and dust while forgetting our weapons?"

"Actually," Weiss cut in, "There's a problem with Earth that sorta-kinda wrecks our Aura. Anything and everything that you used Aura for on Remnant is out of the question here." She glanced over at Vahlen before adding, "At least for now."

"That explains the bloody nose." Ren observed.

Nora rolled her eyes in annoyance, "Okay fine. So we'll train with their weapons for an hour. _Then_ can we go kill some aliens?"

Ruby sighed, "It'll take more than an hour… but sure, Nora. Then we can go kill some aliens."

As the friends continued to catch up with each other, Shen leaned over and whispered to Bradford, "That was almost too easy."

Bradford shrugged, "Well hey, looks like Strike Eight won't be needing to borrow other soldiers for their ops anymore. And it looks like Nora is the shot to the arm Ruby needed."

"Looks that way." Shen agreed, a smile crossing his face. He'd miss having Ruby in his shop every day, but he knew that bringing her back onto the field signaled the first step on Ruby's road to mental recovery from the loss of Vance.


	19. Steadfast

Master Sergeant Eduardo 'Otter' Fonseca flashed a bright smile as he approached Ren in the medbay.

"Hello there! Congratulations on making it through your first mission and earning a promotion! Killing aliens is fun work, no?"

Ren stared impassively at the cheery soldier, "It's not much different from killing Grimm, I suppose."

"Ah, yes, Grimm." Fonseca said in his best 'spooky' voice, "The bogeyman of your homeworld. Maybe someday I will get the chance to see them for myself. Who knows? But that's a discussion for a later time. Now… to business." He gestured at the room around them, "You may be wondering why our first training session is in the medbay. The medbay, of all places!"

The young Specialist shrugged, "I was promoted to a Medic. I have a few guesses."

Fonseca rolled his eyes, "Okay Mr. No-Fun Spoilsport. You need to loosen up a little, man! Enjoy life as you take it day by day! But yes. We are Medics, and so it's only logical that our first order of business takes place in the medbay. Whatever Neanderthals that call themselves your squadmates will all get trained in the ways of pulling a trigger to shoot an alien. That's all they know. Pull trigger. Dead alien. Very simple, yes?"

Ren nodded, "For the most part."

"Tch! Such a quiet man! It's okay, though. But yes, veeeery simple. Us Medics, however…" He leaned over and whispered conspiratorially into Ren's ear, "We must learn the art of healing! You give a soldier a medkit, and their alien-killing instincts kick in, so they just pull the trigger and hope for the best." Fonseca shook his head gravely, as if disappointed in these soldiers for their poor medkit use, "Medics must learn the art of professional aid. We must learn methods for dressing open wounds, setting fractures or sprains, and even mentally stabilizing our patients."

Fonseca pulled out the medkit he brought with him, "This is our weapon of war, mister Ren. With this, we keep our teammates in proper fighting condition, so that the alien scum may continue to fall against our combined might! Before we begin, I must ask: how much medical knowledge do you have, my friend?"

"I learned a fair amount of first aid while growing up, and the… wild nature of my partner means I've spent my fair share of time patching her up."

The Medic clapped his hands, "Wonderful! Then we can skip right to the good stuff without having to cover basics. Of course, if there's anything that you find confusing, feel free to stop me and ask." He gave Ren a nudge and a wink, "Of course, that means you will have to speak! But I believe in you, Ren. Let us begin."

* * *

"Alright, cowboy. You ready?"

Pyrrha nodded, her eyes shining with determination, "Yes."

"Here we go!" Leo 'Desperado' Ward flipped a switch on the wall of the firing range, and the metal shutters clattered open. As soon as the pair of operatives spotted their targets on the far side of the gallery, hot plasma streaked across the room towards their targets. Bottles shattered, tin cans clanged, and wood targets shattered as the pair called out the growing tally of 'kills' they racked up. The rifles had their power levels set to 'low' so that the destructive energy didn't completely obliterate the far end of the range.

With practiced ease, Desperado ejected the energy cell of his weapon and slapped in a new one moments later. Pyrrha, while considerably slower on account of still learning the weapon in her hands, valiantly sought to match her mentor's pace. Within a matter of minutes, both soldiers had a small pile of spent cells at their feet and not a single target remained standing.

"Final count?" Ward asked.

"Fifty-two, sir."

The Infantryman smiled, "Sixty-four. I gotta say, kid… for someone who started learning how to shoot a plasma rifle a week ago, you're a bloody rock star."

Pyrrha let out a small laugh and waved him off, "You give me too much credit. It may be my first week with a plasma rifle, but I've been shooting my own rifle for several years now. I just need to get used to the new weight and kick, and I'll be able to put all my old training to good use."

"Several years?" The Tech Sergeant asked, slowly raising an eyebrow, "Damn, I was learning about angles, atoms, and other boring shit when I was your age. Well, best not to look a gift horse in the mouth, I suppose."

"A gift… horse?"

"Oh, right. I guess idioms don't carry over between Remnant and Earth, huh? Well, don't worry about it. Shall we go for another round?"

Pyrrha, still trying to figure out what her mentor could possibly mean by a gift horse, nodded, "Practice makes perfect, my father used to tell me. The fact that these speed clears are fun is a nice benefit." She casually ejected the half-spent cell from her Plasma rifle and locked a fresh one in its place. This time, Pyrrha resolved to tag fifty-three of the targets before Desperado could clear out the rest.

* * *

In the live fire facility, several dummies stood in a mock urban setting. Several stood in the open while others 'hid' behind various pieces of cover. Silence pervaded the room for a few minutes after construction of the training course finished. Then all at once, the sounds of heavy metal shattered the silence, followed by an ear-piercing, adrenaline-fueled scream.

"YYYYEEAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Small, beeping objects fell from the sky, rolling towards the dummies and cover. In a flash, green plasma energy ripped through the mock aliens and their concrete shelter. Gouts of flame erupted as barrels of flammable refuse ignited from the grenade blasts and further added to the destruction and carnage in the room. Even as the dummies turned to ash, still more grenades sailed through the air and disintegrated targets that managed to avoid the first round of explosions.

Within a matter of minutes, smoldering pockmarks littered the concrete room while massive volumes of smoke and fumes floated to the ceiling. Between rock and sky stood the blasted remains of the small urban buildings, chunks of concrete still crumbling to the floor as searing fire ate away it their structural integrity. Above it all, on a tall platform, stood a lone figure, hands on her hips and her head thrown back while laughter erupted from her throat.

"And so the Almighty Nora looked down upon the dying aliens. Her foes stared at her pleadingly, begging for a quick and merciful death. Nora contemplated their tearful cries wondering if their final wishes should be granted." A sinister gleam appeared in her eye, and her voice took on a low, deadly tone, "And then Nora remembered the horrors of war inflicted upon her friends by the aliens brethren. So she stared back at the aliens, slowly cooking alive within their not-so-protective suits of armor, and she did tell them: 'No.' "

Nora once again fell silent, leaving only the flaming wreckage and the stereo still playing as the remaining sounds while her mentor cleared his throat, "Jesus _fucking_ Christ, kid. Remind me never to piss you off. I used to run with the Sinaloa drug cartel in Argentina before I got picked up by the AFOE, and I don't know which scares me more: you or my old mob boss."

Master Sergeant Jorge 'Cargo' Cisneros shook his head and stared down at the dying flames below, "I will say, though, I'm impressed by how quickly you got the hang of throwing grenades at your targets. I know that you're accustomed to using a launcher, but we've determined that at XCOM, the ability to make precision tosses outweighs the additional range offered by an M32. I doubt we'll get to do this…" he waved at the carnage before them, "very often, since Central tends to dislike wonton destruction of his facilities. But I'll see if I can make an exception every now and then when it comes time to disposing of the trash."

Nora shrugged, "As long as I'm exploding the crap out of aliens in the field, I think I can live with using paint grenades during practice." She giggled, "This was pretty fun, though! Let me know if you manage to get the go-ahead from Brad in the future!"

Her mentor gave her a light-hearted salute, "Will do, Miss Valkyrie."

"You have survived your first field operation as a Private, First Class. I offer my congratulations."

* * *

With hands folded neatly behind his back, the imposing figure of Colonel Shaojie 'Chilong' Zhang towered over the rookie standing before him. Eyes impassive, he continued to speak, "Additionally, Bradford has seen fit to honor you with a promotion to the cadre of operatives who call themselves Gunners, my brethren. At the request of Lieutenant Rose, and as a favor to her for outstanding work in the name of XCOM, I have agreed to be your mentor as you adapt to your new role."

The Colonel began to slowly pace in front of his student while he carried on with his speech, "Becoming a Gunner is a great challenge, as well as an incredible honor. You will wield the heaviest non-MEC weaponry available, and use it to rain justice and absolution upon the xeno scum. You will be an anchor for your allies, suppressing key targets with extreme firepower to keep your squad from harm. You will also likely be using specialized High Explosive Anti-Tank ammunition to tear apart dangerous mechanical foes before they have a chance to even try killing those you count as friends. Your road as a Gunner will be difficult as well as dangerous, but should you succeed… I guarantee you will find yourself a better soldier because of it."

Zhang stopped pacing and returned to a position directly in front of his new mentee, "Are you ready to truly learn what it means to be a Gunner?"

Determined blue eyes met cold amber, and Specialist Jaune Arc nodded, "Yes, sir."

"Good." Zhang reached down, picked up the Light Machine Gun on the floor between the two soldiers, and shoved it into Jaune's chest. "Your first order of business is to run a lap around the facility carrying this weapon. Feel its weight, learn its curves, and obtain a deep respect and understanding for your agent of death. Then, and only then, will you truly be capable of learning how to use it in combat."

Jaune looked around the currently-empty live fire course, save for some heavy smoke that hung in the air from whoever previously used it. While the room spanned a good distance, it was far from massive. One lap didn't seem like that big of a deal, so of course Jaune made the mistake of asking, "Just once around the room?"

Zhang stared at him, "When I say a lap around the facility, I mean _the whole facility_. I have informed Lieutenant Rose and her Sergeants of this part of your training. They are scattered around XCOM's base, and will report to me whether or not they saw you on your run. If I hear a single negative response, you will run the facility again." A small smirk crossed the Colonel's features, "Because Lieutenant Rose has grown on me, I'll do you the favor of telling you that you'll find her at the firing range next door. Finding the other three is up to you."

The young Specialist managed to avoid dropping his jaw, but his wide eyes still managed to convey his shock. To Jaune's credit, he said nothing by way of complaint, merely giving Zhang a stiff salute before setting off on his run.

From the comfort of Dr. Shen's office, the 'Big Three' watched Jaune work his way around the live fire facility before setting out to run around the rest of the anthill. Shen sampled the jasmine tea in his mug before glancing at his two companions, "How long do you give him before we need to give him a mentor that isn't Chilong?"

Vahlen let out a thoughtful hum, considering her friend's question, "He might last. I can call into question his combat prowess relative to the other three members of JNPR, but Specialist Arc certainly has a great deal of determination and physical strength. He might survive the Colonel's instruction simply through sheer force of will and a stubborn attitude."

"And with help from Specialist Nikos." Bradford added, "Ten bucks says she finds him during his run and joins him as a way of encouragement."

"I'll see your bet and raise you twenty that she offers to carry the gun for him." Shen chuckled, "That girl is bit by the love bug in a bad way."

Vahlen snorted, "They've only been here for five days, and though I spend most of my time in my lab, even _I've_ been able to notice. How has he not picked up on it?"

Shen shrugged, "Maybe he has? Just because he doesn't show it doesn't mean he's clueless." He swirled the contents of his mug pensively, "It's obvious he holds a great deal of respect for her and values their present relationship. Maybe he's afraid of making the wrong move?"

"Well if he doesn't make _some_ kind of move, I might just kick his ass on her behalf." Vahlen grumbled.

"Her relationship with Specialist Arc aside, Nikos is damn near the best Rookie shooter we've seen in months." Bradford said, "I was tempted to give her the Sniper's lanyard and have Ruby show her the ropes, but the Lieutenant believed she'd better serve as an Infantryman. Since Ruby knows her better than we do, who am I to contest that?"

Shen nodded in agreement, "It seems that JNPR as a whole brings a lot of skill to the table. Specialist Valkyrie is extremely talented with explosives. You'd think that she'd have a hard time adapting to thrown grenades because she's only ever used her launcher, but Tech Sergeant Cisneros said it took her under half an hour to get her accuracy up to standard deviations." He chuckled, "Cisneros also mentioned that her personality can be a bit… terrifying. I suspect that Yang drew inspiration from Nora here with her original threat to break my legs on her first day at XCOM."

"… I'll keep a close watch on her psych profile." Vahlen said, pulling up Nora's information on her tablet, "But hopefully her personality doesn't end up grating on the rest of our operatives. With everyone already stressed out enough as it is, she might be a demoralizing factor whether she means to or not. I'll have to hold a discussion with the Valkyrie girl before it gets too out of hand, I think."

"I'm surprised you haven't taken a keener interest in her partner, Doctor." Bradford observed, "From what I gathered during JNPR's debriefing, he's somewhat of an Aura prodigy. I can definitely use his combat acumen during operations, I figured that picking his brain during downtime would be ideal for your research."

Vahlen shrugged, "At this point, my chief concern is developing a stable suppression counter-field, and I'm not sure if Lie Ren's knowledge can help achieve that goal. I'll still ask him to see me in my lab just in case I'm wrong."

"Yeah, that suppression field is a pain in the ass, isn't it?" Bradford admitted, "Could you imagine the advantage we'd have over the aliens by now if it never existed?"

Shen laughed, "RWBY probably could have won the war for us. But there's no point speaking of hypotheticals. We'll cross that proverbial bridge once Dr. Vahlen builds it for us."

The Chief Scientist rolled her eyes, "Thanks, Shen. 'No pressure, Vahlen, but an easy victory in this war is entirely based on your research.' "

Bradford returned his focus to the screen tracking Jaune's run, "So it seems that Specialist Arc is the dark horse of his merry band. Not sure what that Ozpin fellow was thinking when he appointed this kid as team lead, but surely he had _some_ reason in mind." He let out a laugh when he saw Jaune pick up his pace in an effort to escape a pursuing Yang armed with an Arc Thrower, "I mean yeah, determination is a great trait in a soldier, but it's no substitute for talent on the field."

"Give him some time, boss," Shen replied, "The first batch of Remnant soldiers surprised us in many ways, and I'm optimistic that this group will do the same. While it's up to them to show us the best they have to offer, it's up to _us_ to determine how to use that potential in the most efficient way. Even if Jaune isn't the best fighter, I suspect that he'll prove his worth through other means."

"I guess so. Hey, check it out," He nodded at the screen where a certain red-haired Specialist could now be seen running with Jaune, "Looks like you owe me ten bucks, Shen."

Shen shook his head, "Have another look."

Bradford turned back to the screen only to see Jaune protectively holding his plasma weapon away from Pyrrha. He sighed and reached into his pocket to fish out a twenty for the grinning Chief Engineer.

* * *

The members of Strike Eight, both new and experienced, agreed to spend the evening in the lounge so that RWBY could hear all about the various training regimens JNPR started that day. The veterans, having a 'free day' themselves, arrived early and enjoyed their various beverages of choice while they waited for their friends to file in and take a seat.

"So how do you think they did?" Weiss mused while she carefully examined the contents of the pint Yang set in front of her.

Ruby, opting to 'pre-game' with a glass of milk in an effort to preserve her delicate sobriety, responded,"I'm pretty confident that they had a successful first day. I mean, they did just fine on the Rookie Op, didn't they?"

"Better than we did, at least." Blake commented.

"Hey!" Ruby huffed, "We didn't have four Sergeants on our first mission, and we certainly didn't have two MECs dressed to the nines in top-quality gear!"

Blake waved her off, "C'mon, don't take it personally. I'd say we did pretty damn good, all things considered. I'm just glad that JNPR had a much smoother welcome to XCOM."

Yang grinned mischievously, "Speaking of the devils…"

The other three looked up to see their four friends approach the table after Yang waved them down. The cheerful blond greeted them as they approached, "The kiddies return! How'd you all do on your first day of classes?"

Nora practically skipped her way to the table, a smile firmly plastered on her face, "Awesome! A little boring at first, since they made me use paint balloons instead of grenades. But I got to try out a few of the real ones by the end because my instructor was so impressed!" She looked thoughtful for a brief moment before adding, "I'm not sure he liked it when I started laughing, though…"

Weiss snorted, "Yeah… you gotta remember that not only are these people unaccustomed to your… personality, but this war for their planet has put a heavy strain on them, both physically and mentally." She gave Nora a friendly punch to the shoulder, "Do us a favor and reel that sort of thing in, okay? You'll have plenty of fun making the bad guys explode without giving your mentor a heart attack, I promise."

Ruby turned to look at Ren, "What about you? How's our new resident Medic?"

"Pretty good," Ren replied with a shrug, "Not really any special combat training, but I spent a lot of time learning how to use a Medkit."

Yang scoffed, "Seriously? You just find some blood, pull the trigger, and let the happy juice turn your buddy's frown upside-down."

Ren shook his head, "If you don't care about efficiency, then yeah. _My_ job is to keep you patched up so you can keep killing stuff, and that means not blowing an entire Medkit on a scratch."

"Eh, sounds boring, but whatever floats your boat, I guess." Yang turned to Pyrrha, who was enjoying a glass of orange juice while her friends chattered, "What about you? I take it you blew away Desperado with your amazing talent?"

"He seemed impressed," Pyrrha admitted, "We spent most of our time speed shooting at the target range. I came close to beating him on a few of the trials, but it was probably beginner's luck. He's very nice, though, and a good teacher, so I'm grateful to be learning under him."

"Humble as always," Blake commented, "I bet you were holding back so you didn't hurt his feelings."

"I wish I could say I am as good with a Plasma Rifle as I am with Miló, but the Tech Sergeant is definitely better."

Ruby turned to Jaune, "And what about Strike Eight's new star Gunner? I'll have you know that I had to pull some strings with Zhang so he'd agree to take you on, but he's the best there is… Jaune?" She noticed that his head, firmly resting in his arms on the table, didn't look up in response to her question. Then, she noticed the gentle rise and fall of his shoulders during the quiet seconds that followed.

Pyrrha sighed and softly shook her partner, "Jaune, Ruby's asking you a question."

Bleary-eyed, Jaune looked up and around at the seven pairs of eyes staring at him, "Wha…?"

"How'd training with Zhang go?" Weiss repeated for Ruby. Jaune groaned.

"So much running…"

Yang laughed, "Yeah, we were there for that part, remember? What else did you guys do?"

"More running. While pulling Zhang on a sled." Jaune started counting on his fingers, "And pull-ups… abdominal training… bench-pressing… squats…" The members of RWBY gave him a curious look, and Blake asked the question they all had on their mind, "… Did you do anything else? Like, you know, gunning?"

Jaune shook his head, "Not yet. He said that before I could have the honor of shooting a Gunner's weapon, I needed to earn its respect first."

"Ah… that actually doesn't sound too surprising." Ruby admitted, "Zhang's a bit philosophical. But he's an excellent instructor, I'm sure!" She quickly added when her friend groaned.

"Jaune, do you think you should have somebody else train you instead?" Pyrrha asked, "Someone who's teaching style would be a better fit for you?"

Jaune shook his head, "No. Ruby stuck her neck out for this opportunity. I'm not going to throw that away on the first day because I spent it running around the base."

Ruby, slightly embarrassed, tried to downplay Jaune's determination to succeed on her behalf, "It's fine, Jaune. I don't think it'll be that big of a deal if you need to switch to a different mentor."

"No," Jaune said, his voice adamant, "You have this man's respect, and you vouched for my character. I can tell that he's a great soldier, and I won't be a reason for him to think less of you." A yawn escaped his lips and he shook his head in an effort to break fatigue's hold over him, "I just need to get some rest is all. It can wait until after this, though."

"Right!" Yang cut in, "And what we have here is your Celebratory Specialist Party!"

"Ooohhh!" Nora squealed with excitement, "I like parties!"

Yang gave the new Engineer a triumphant smile, "I thought as much. Do you like drinking?"

Nora gave Yang a confused look, "You mean like drinking water? Or syrup?"

"Nope! Alcohol! Here at XCOM, if you're old enough to get shot at by aliens, you're old enough to have a beer! Or five. C'mon, the four of us have plenty of credit at the Commissary to cover for you guys, so drinks are on us."

Pyrrha clapped in appreciation, "That sounds like fun! Though Jaune might need to take you up on that later-"

"You have anything stiffer than beer?" Jaune cut in, "Because dammit, I need a little somethin' after all the suffering I did for the Colonel."

He didn't even notice his partner's amused sigh.

* * *

"So wait," A bleary-eyed (though steady-tongued) Jaune started, trying to keep track of the information in Yang's story, "You're telling me that two MEC soldiers can… you know..?"

Yang shrugged, clearly handling her alcohol better than Jaune, "All I'm saying is, I watched two MEC troopers walk into the armory, and they walked out with a little SHIV between them thirty minutes later. I don't know what they told you back in school, but when a mama cyborg and a papa cyborg love each other very, very much…"

"Yang, it's not nice to tease the new kids like that, especially when they're our friends."

"Look Blake, I'm just saying that sometime you and I should-"

" _Yang_."

Pyrrha, who planned out her drinking strategy far better than her partner, interrupted the awkward argument before it had the chance to boil over, "So, I was wondering something."

"What's up, Pyr?" Ruby answered, eager to shift topics.

"While we were out on our first operation with you, I noticed a few… habits that seemed a bit strange."

Ruby blinked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, for example, Yang's odd recitation before we stepped off the Skyranger stuck out to me as particularly…" She paused, trying to search for the right word, "Interesting."

"Oh, that," Ruby chuckled, "Yeah, Yang seems to have an affinity for buying into the silly superstitions some of these guys at the base have. You missed her BFG speech back when she was a Rocketeer. Now, she does some sort of prayer to the machine ghost."

"Machine Spirit." Yang corrected with a mildly condescending tone before closing her eyes and reciting, " _Initiating activation sequence, aktiva cons sequentia. Librius machina auroris dei. Contact established with machine spirit of "Archer" MEC, designate MEC-7-32a. Praise to the Machine God._ "

Weiss sighed, "The fact that you bothered to memorize that still astounds me."

"Hey! You might laugh now, but just remember that the Machine Spirit watches over me the next time I have to bail you out of a tight spot!"

"I wouldn't be so quick to mock her, Weiss," Pyrrha teased, "While Yang's incantation might be a bit over-the-top, you still have rituals of your own."

Weiss raised an eyebrow, curious, "Oh?"

"Every time you kill an enemy, you pull out your sidearm and fire two shots through its skull."

Ruby watched with amusement as her partner try to brush off Pyrrha's observation. In truth, Ruby began to notice the same thing, starting with the last mission her squad ran after Newfoundland.

Weiss sniffed, refusing to make eye contact with her accuser, "You can never be too sure about whether or not your shot really killed it. I do it as a safety precaution."

"Even when your shotgun already blasted a giant hole through its chest?" Jaune added, "And it's always two shots."

"Ouch," Blake laughed, "Even Jaune noticed. That's how you know you're being obvious about it."

Weiss crossed her arms and grumbled, "Oh shut up. I bet Pyrrha's got some dirt on you, too."

Pyrrha shook her head, "Sadly, I do not."

"I do," Ren said. Up until a second ago, the quiet hunter was enjoying his first (and likely only) alcoholic drink in silence. Now, seven heads turned curiously to look at him while he took another small sip of his clear beverage.

A small grin appeared on Blake's face, "Oh? Do you, now?"

"I do." Ren repeated, not offering to expand on his statement.

"… And?"

"It's not something that should be shared."

Yang waggled her eyebrows, "Ohhhh? _Is that so_?"

Ren shook his head, "Not like that. It's a personal thing."

Blake's grin faded, replaced with a look solemn respect, "I'm impressed you found out about that. How did you…?"

"Because I was going to do the same thing."

"You know they have more than one, right?" Blake pointed out with a small laugh.

"Come ON, guys!" Nora wailed, "You can't keep talking like that and not tell the rest of us!"

"Ren caught me meditating down by one of the Fission Generators."

Silence fell across the group before Ruby broke it with, "… That's it? You guy were making it sound like some sort of secret cult or something."

"I think I understand." Pyrrha said, "For people who practice meditation, having a secret spot where you can just get away from everyone and be alone is very important."

Ren nodded, confirming Pyrrha's guess, "And Blake does it every morning. Habits like double-tapping an enemy or regular chanting are one thing. Revealing someone's place of meditation…"

"Wasn't your place to tell." Weiss finished, rolling her eyes "Thanks for making the rest of us look petty, Blake."

"Well, not all of you." Jaune said, "There's gotta be some kind of story behind the dog tags that Ruby-"

" _Jaune_." Yang started, her tone growing icy. The young hunter looked at her in confusion before glancing over at her sister. Ruby's eyes darkened, though not in anger. She stared down into the half-finished drink between her hands, and her shoulders slumped ever so slightly. To Jaune, it didn't look like a face of someone pissed off at his apparent misstep. It looked more like the face of…

Sadness.

"Oh, shoot. Ruby, I didn't know."

"It's because nobody ever told you," Ruby answered, still staring down at the amber liquid in her glass, "And that's not your fault." The young Lieutenant heaved a sigh and forced herself to look up at her friends. She even made a feeble attempt at a smile, "It's my fault, really."

Nobody at the table said anything. They all watched their friend in silence, waiting for her to continue. Ruby took a moment to enjoy the comfort of her seven fellow hunters. These guys jumped through a portal and willingly threw themselves into hell for her without a second thought. Maybe re-living the past with them wouldn't be so hard. At the very least, Ruby knew JNPR deserved to hear the truth.

"Before you arrived," Ruby began, "Strike Eight only had five real members. The four of us," She motioned to Team RWBY, "And a gentleman known as Major Xander Vance. When we first joined XCOM, Bradford assigned him to us as a senior operative, and probably as a friend. If we had any questions, if anything seemed confusing, or if a fight got too dangerous, Vance was there."

"Well, the last one's a bit iffy." Weiss added.

"True," Ruby laughed, "Your first mission as Rookies went pretty smoothly, but ours was… well, awful. That's not really his fault though. One thing you learn about fighting for XCOM is that no plan ever really survives first contact with the enemy. My point is that in the absence of any familiar faces here on Earth, Vance became our friend."

JNPR waited patiently, easily guessing the story's ending. Ruby continued, "About a month ago, the Major died in a field op. We literally had a minute at most before the AO became a blazing field of ruin, and a monstrously large Chryssalid was about to keep us from the Skyranger long enough for everyone to die in the blast. The Major saw that we had no way to deal with the threat _and_ get on the Skyranger before the countdown reached zero, so he did the one thing he knew would work." She closed her eyes, "He bought us time."

Realization slowly dawned on Jaune as he started to guess how this related to a pile of dog tags, but he knew enough not to interrupt Ruby's story.

"Major Vance wasn't the first soldier I lost, and I doubt he'll be the last. But he tried to teach me early on how to harness my grief and use it to push myself forward as a better leader." A bitter chuckle escaped her lips, "It's a shame that it took his death for me to truly understand his lesson."

She took a sip from her glass, sighed, and continued, "Before Vance left to stall for time, he gave Weiss his dog tags for me to keep. After we came back, I also asked Bradford for the tags of the other soldiers who died following me." She grabbed the bundle of clinking metal on her hip and allowed herself a smile, "So now I carry them wherever I go, a reminder that they died believing that I could make a difference."

She let the tags fall back into place on her hip and finished her drink. She looked around at all the faces of her friends and saw a mixture of worry and confusion. Ruby knew she needed to fix that, "So to get back to your original question, Jaune, the tags are a reminder to me of something I told you a long time ago. I'm a leader, Jaune, and I'm not allowed to be a failure. The soldiers of XCOM are depending on me, and now your team is, too."

Without asking, Ruby grabbed the glass in front of Yang and claimed it for her own, completely ignoring the indignant "Hey!" from her sister, "Looking back, I'm not proud of how I handled Vance's death. I ignored pretty much everyone in favor of building stuff. I justified it as trying to create tech that would save lives, but it was really about doing something comforting rather than facing the hard truth. I'm sure my teammates would've helped me if they realized what was happening, but being stuck in the same situation… well, it's hard to get a fresh perspective when you're already on the inside right?"

Her smile from before brightened as she looked back at her friends from JNPR, "Having you here helped me realize that. So thanks for being wonderful and diving head-first into danger simply because your friends might need you. I guess you were right in the end."

Ruby chugged the rest of the glass, which caused her to launch into a coughing fit.

"I'm alright!" She squeaked out between choking fits. Once she got her breathing back under control, she looked at her friends once more, "Well, now that we're all done being sad because of me, why don't we do something fun? The lounge has a surprisingly impressive collection of movies, and Jaune could sleep while the rest of us enjoy something."

The members of Strike Eight looked over at Jaune, who had already once more succumbed to his fatigue, and laughed.

"That sounds like a lovely idea, Ruby." Pyrrha agreed, picking up Jaune as she spoke.

"I call dibs on the movie!" Yang shouted excitedly.

"The last time we let you pick, we were forced to watch Kung Fury." Weiss grumbled.

"And it was _the best movie of all time_. What's your point?" Yang countered.

"Why don't we show JNPR a truly classic work of Earth cinematography?"

Blake raised an eyebrow, "Gone With the Wind is three hours, Weiss."

Ruby's partner shook her head, "I don't even know what that is, but I was thinking something a little more family-friendly. Something like Froz-"

"No."


	20. Fortiores Una

"Here they come."

Almost like clockwork, the Mutons and Heavy Floaters poured out of the UFO to investigate a Mimic Beacon. Once the last alien cleared the doorway, Strike Eight sprung its trap. From atop the alien ship itself, Blake fired at the hardened floaters with her modified Particle Cannon. After numerous hours in the training facilities, Blake made the definitive decision to trade firepower for utility. Her new weapon hit nowhere near as hard as the conventional firearms equipped by other MECs, but Blake could fire her weapon much more rapidly in return. One of Dr. Shen's more recent upgrades allowed the Pathfinder to keep the Holo Targeting mod she learned to love from her days as a Scout, and the Heavy Floaters down below quickly became marked for death. While the fliers took to the safety of the skies, the Mutons scrambled for the nearest available cover. A carefully-dropped Proximity Mine gutted the front runners into a bloody pulp.

" _That's what I'm talking about._ " Yang chuckled from the back of the squad.

"Nicely done, Four. Five, I need you to start hosing those airborne targets. Seven, back him up."

"On it!" Jaune confirmed. He hefted his LMG (or 'Plasma Dragon,' as Shen's engineers named it) and quickly ran through his mental checklist of instructions from Zhang. Feet steady, arms tense but not locked, and trigger finger relaxed. The Gunner took a deep breath, and then unleashed his first salvo of plasma at the Heavy Floaters. He watched with anticipation as the deadly bolts raced towards their targets, then sighed as he watched the shots go wide, completely missing their mark. Jaune gritted his teeth; He could do better than that, and he knew it.

Moments later, one of the aliens took a ball of plasma straight to the face, followed by a second to the chest and dropped out of the sky. Jaune inwardly sighed at his partner's cheerful tone, "Don't give up, Jaune! We've got this!" He knew that Pyrrha meant well, that she truly wanted him to succeed, but that didn't make him feel any better when the last five seconds so accurately juxtaposed their respective failure and success.

Ruby watched the remaining Mutons crouch behind the safety of a large fallen log and smiled, "Six. Do you mind getting rid of that cover so Two can move in and break some legs?"

"Aye aye, boss!" Nora cried. She ripped a grenade off of her belt, primed it, and chucked the beeping explosive at the hunkered Mutons. The resulting explosion blasted the wood to pieces, leaving the Mutons exposed and without cover. The stellerator whined on Ruby's Plasma Sniper Rifle, supercharging the weapon's plasma bolt and allowing it to vaporize the head of one alien before a Titan-clad Weiss leapt out from behind the trees to take care of the rest. Halfway through the arc of her jump, the Assault fired at her nearest target. The recoil from the opening mid-air shot propelled her forward and allowed the Assault to quickly dance out of the Muton squad's visual range. Within moments, Weiss reappeared behind the aliens and unloaded her Reflex Cannon at point blank range into a second target. The servos in her power armor absorbed the heavy recoil of her weapon and allowed Weiss to immediately line up a third shot and disemboweled her next victim.

Weiss grunted as she staggered from the impact of several well-placed plasma bolts striking the back of her armor. She turned to see several of the Heavy Floaters approaching her position from the trees. She deduced that they moved to flank her while she remained occupied with cleaning out the Mutons. Her assailants opened fire once more and forced Weiss to take cover behind a rotting stump.

"Got some Heavies on my flank!"

Before Weiss even finished shouting, a canister rolled up to her feet and released its concealing fog in a matter of seconds. Over the comms, Weiss heard Ren's curt reply, "Got you covered."

Blake switched targets from the Mutons to the Heavy Floaters, using her targeting module to keep the fliers marked. Ren tossed a flashbang to keep the Mutons locked down before he and Nora turned to assist the squad with bringing down the Heavies. One by one, the mechanized fliers started dropping under the force of Strike Eight's combined fire.

As the fight raged on, Ruby watched one of the Heavy Floaters stop firing and retract its robotic arms into its metallic shell. She wondered what it could possibly be doing and followed its line of sight down to Pyrrha and Jaune.

"Uhh… one of the Heavies is acting strange. Be careful Five, I think it's got an eye on you."

Jaune looked up to see the alien in question staring him down with its beady eyes. Even though it wasn't shooting him with its Heavy Plasma Rifle, the sight still sent a small shiver down Jaune's spine. He gripped his Plasma Dragon and started to line it up with the target. Feet steady, arms tense…

"That can't be good." He muttered as the Floater shot itself high into the air. It twisted around and started to plummet back towards the earth, and Jaune quickly realized it was set on a crash course with his position.

"Pyrrha?"

"Little busy!" His partner replied. Jaune stole a quick glance to his left and saw that Pyrrha indeed had her own problems to deal with. Two of the other fliers had a lock on her position and kept her crouched behind cover with their combined suppression. Ruby and Blake worked together to take down Pyrrha's suppressors, with Blake marking them and Ruby going for the killing blow, but the Heavy Floaters weren't making their job easy. The rest of the squad seemed to still be preoccupied with the aliens flanking Weiss and the few remaining Mutons. Besides, even if Ruby called in some backup for Jaune, the Heavy would reach him before the support did. Jaune fought down the rising bile in his throat and took aim at the speed demon.

He gently pulled the trigger and let his gun discharge a salvo of plasma at the suicide floater. The first two shots whizzed past the target, and the third glanced off its armored plating. Jaune steeled his nerves, readjusted the Plasma Dragon, and fired again. One of the bolts scored a hit on his target, and the specially-modulated flak rounds exploded into a small cloud of plasma that seared the Floater as it flew through the superheated mist. While the hit certainly maimed the alien, the damage didn't stop it from streaking towards Jaune at an increasing speed. At this rate, its wreckage would still collide with him even if he managed to kill it with a third salvo.

Jaune threw his gun down and deployed the retractable blast shield he carried in his armor, planted it into the ground and braced for the inevitable impact. The ground shook, and he heard the Heavy Floater collide, but Jaune didn't feel himself thrown back thirty yards like he expected. The hunter looked up over his shield and saw the towering figure of Yang's MEC standing protectively over him, its frame wreathed in tell-tale glow of its pilot's Aura. The smoldering wreckage of the Heavy Floater lay at her feet, and Jaune sighed. Once again, somebody else needed to bail him out.

" _You okay, Jaune?_ " Yang asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jaune assured as he grabbed his gun and checked to make sure he didn't damage it, "Even if you didn't step in and block it, I'm pretty good at taking hits." He slid the Dragon's power source back into place while Yang stomped off to help Weiss and muttered, "It's all I'm good at, apparently."

"Jaune." The Gunner froze at the quiet sound of Pyrrha's voice, loud enough for only him to hear, "You know that's not true. If the enemy was easy to kill, XCOM would have already won this war."

"And yet you make the killing look easy." Jaune countered. He didn't blame her for being naturally talented at XCOM's style of combat, but he couldn't help but feel jealous. When they found out that the situation on Earth would require a drastic change in tactics from what they were used to on Remnant, Jaune hoped it would be his chance to prove himself. Even if he wasn't the best hunter at Beacon (or even a good one), he thought he could train himself hard enough to be a worthy XCOM operative. Evidently not. Even countless nights spent at the range to learn how to how to wield his weapon seemed to have little effect.

Before he could get even more upset about the whole situation, Pyrrha gave him a light punch to the shoulder and flashed him a smile, "C'mon, the fight's not over yet. Let's help the team mop up."

The pair rejoined the squad in time to watch Blake charge the last remaining Mutons. Despite the heavy, bulky nature of her equipment, Blake's strikes flowed from one target to the next like water. A rocket punch to the first Muton carried through into a backhand strike for the second before Blake used her back-mounted drifter jets to rapidly close on the third. A multi-ton shoulder check crushed the Muton into a tree, and Weiss finished the engagement by paralyzing Blake's second target with a charge from her shotgun-mounted arc thrower.

The members of Strike Eight took a moment to catch their breath after the fighting ceased, checking their weapons for damage and counting their supply of spare ammunition. Nora entertained herself by trying to balance a grenade on her nose. Jaune gave Ren a curious look, which Ren returned with a helpless shrug.

After a minute of letting her team finish up their respective weapons checks, Ruby stood up and addressed the squad, "Alright, everybody good? We've still got the command group inside the UFO, and possibly another patrol or two to deal with. Two, how's your armor holding up?"

"Fine. Those Heavies hit hard, but it's nothing an application of sealant couldn't fix. Shen'll have to take a look at it when we get back, but it'll hold up until then."

"Good. Four, still got some explosives left?"

Yang, who took her helmet off to catch some fresh air while the team rested, winked at Ruby, "You know it, boss!"

"Five, how's that gun working out?"

Jaune jumped slightly, not expecting Ruby's question, "Oh! Uh, working great, Actual. Just, um, working out the last few kinks with it."

"Good, switch out the Flak Ammunition for AP, since we probably won't have any fliers once we head inside. Six, having fun with those grenades?"

Nora, who switched from balancing one on her nose to organizing them on her bandolier, gave Ruby two thumbs up, "Yep! They're not like Magnhild's dust grenades, but they still explode real nice."

Ruby chuckled, "Alright. Well, make sure you have them ready for our guests when the shooting starts. Eight, how's our medical supply looking?"

"I've got two more uses before the kit's dry." Ren answered, "Still have that experimental adrenaline boost, too."

"That'll be more than enough. Okay, so we're going to try and pull something clever with the command pod. Three and Four, I want you to prep a breach from two directions. Three, you'll come down from above while Four opens up a hole from the outside. Six and Eight, you're up with Three on the roof to get a superior vantage point for your explosives grenades. Eight, lead off with a Flashbang the moment Three drops in. Six, try to Chem as much of the alien squad as possible."

"Aye aye!" Nora answered with a salute, "Poisoning is pretty much the same as leg breaking, anyway."

Ren simply nodded and double-checked the functionality of his Flashbang.

"Two and Seven, you're with Four. Two charges in to support the MEC crash while Seven provides covering fire from the makeshift doorway."

"Got it."

"Five, you're with me. After going in hard and fast, Three will determine if the team needs to pull out and draw the leftovers right into our firing lane. Any questions? … Good, let's move."

Jaune jogged up to Ruby and followed her to the Lieutenant's chosen vantage point for their fire support nest. While Ruby optimized her scope to match their target distance, Jaune unpacked the modified Alloy Bipod attached to his LMG.

"How're you holding up, Jaune? I remember my first few weeks with XCOM were pretty rough, so I just want to make sure you're having an easier time of adjusting than I did."

"I'm… okay. I guess."

Ruby cast a sideways glance at her friend, "Still beating yourself up over that Heavy Floater?"

The young hunter sighed, "I was actually excited when my team first came through the portal: we finally got the chance to regroup with you guys and do something about your mysterious disappearance, and then we find out that you've been in a war that is fought in a completely different way than Remnant hunters are accustomed to. I thought, 'This is it! This is my chance to prove myself and show that I'm a capable fighter!' " Jaune looked down at his deployed Plasma Dragon and resisted the urge to kick it, "But as it turns out, I'm pretty useless at fighting even without my Aura."

Ruby nodded compassionately, "I can see where you're coming from, Jaune, but I disagree completely."

"But I couldn't even hit-!"

Ruby jammed a finger up to Jaune's lips, "Shush! Your commanding officer is speaking!" She gave her friend a wink before continuing, "There are hunters-in-training that are naturally talented, sure, but that alone doesn't make them good. Look at Cardin. Big guy, knows how to swing a mace, and has pretty decent control over his Aura."

Jaune started counting on his own fingers, "He's also rich, good looking, has lots of friends and connections..."

"He's _cock_ y, Jaune." Ruby continued, lightly smacking her friend upside the head for his wisecrack, "He knows he has talent, so he never works hard at pushing himself further. He has no desire to coordinate his team, and he just relies on his reputation as a fighter and a bully to get what he wants." She poked Jaune in the chest, "You, on the other hand, are familiar with failure, and have made the decision to rise up and challenge yourself to overcome it. I've looked at the logs in the Armory," she said in a teasingly accusatory tone, "I'm amazed that you're even able to function during the day, given how late into the night you stay at the range."

"Yeah, well… I'm trying to prove that I can be as good a fighter as my teammates." Jaune grumbled, "I feel like I owe Pyrrha at least that much, given how much effort she's put into helping me."

Ruby made an on-the-spot decision to shelve _that_ conversation for a better time before continuing, "And that's exactly what makes you a good soldier, Jaune. You want to prove yourself, because you're determined to be an asset to your team. That level of resolve is your greatest trait, and it's no less important than being able to swing a sword or shoot a gun." Ruby stopped herself for a moment to check on the progress of the rest of Strike Eight. Their efforts to move quietly slowed down progress considerably, and so Ruby determined she had another minute or so to finish up her little pep talk with Jaune.

"When I was promoted to Lieutenant, Bradford made it a requirement that I attend some lectures at the Officer Training School. One of the concepts the instructors talked about was 'Fortiores Una,' or 'Stronger Together.' The most obvious interpretation is to stick close to your squad, or you'll be plasma fodder."

Ruby laughed. After fighting for so long against a dangerous and overwhelming force, she learned learned to appreciate the necessity of dark humor to stay sane in a line of work like XCOM's, "But the more subtle interpretation is that every soldier has a role, and they all need to come together to form a cohesive squad. If I wanted you for your skills as a marksman, I'd have suggested to Bradford that you be promoted as an Infantryman or Sniper. Play to your strengths, and let the rest of us cover your weaknesses."

"I… Thanks, Ruby." Jaune replied.

"No problem." Ruby keyed her mic, "Everybody in position?"

" _Roof team is standing by._ "

" _Ground team is ready to make an entrance!_ "

"Good. On my mark, I want both MECs to punch a hole simultaneously. Three, drop down and let the grenadiers deliver their payload before engaging alongside Two and Four. After ten seconds, I want Three to make the call whether or not both teams need to pull out through the ground opening and draw the contacts into view of my killzone. Ready… Mark."

Ruby watched as Blake and Yang fired up their Kinetic Strike Modules and punched through the thin exterior of the alien craft. She heard Blake land inside the room, and saw a bright flash through Yang's doorway as Ren's grenade detonated. The ground team disappeared into the room, and Ruby waited for her squad to wreak havoc and retreat. As she did her best to observe the pitched fighting through her scope, she felt a strange presence in her mind.

 _The New One arrives with its kin, as we have anticipated._

Ruby snapped her head around, trying to see where the voice came from.

"You okay, Ruby?" Jaune asked, concern etched onto his features.

 _We took notice of the youngling the first time it stepped onto the battlefield, but our ambassador lacked… finesse._

The chatter over the comms did nothing to lessen Ruby's concerns, "What the hell is that?"

"You guys have been here for months, you tell us!"

 _As time pressed on, The New One assisted our foes in ways previously thought impossible. Time and again, our forces were bested by this new candidate and its pack._

" _IT SHOT MY PARTICLE BEAM BACK AT ME. HOW DID IT SHOOT MY PARTICLE BEAM BACK AT ME?_ "

"Boss, we got problems in here!"

 _While the Earth Breed still shows promise, we have come to the conclusion that a more… direct approach is necessary to determine if The New One might provide a suitable alternative should the worst come to pass. Where our subordinates failed, we shall succeed._

"Get out of my head!" Ruby cried out, causing a started Jaune to jump back. Still, the leader of JNPR had enough situational awareness to understand that Ruby's current state prevented her from commanding. He keyed his comm and spoke to the rest of Strike Eight, "Ground team, pull out now. Grenadiers, try to leave a few packages for the chasers, but don't expose yourselves."

The raiding party didn't bother to ask why Jaune suddenly decided to start giving the orders, nor did they need to be told twice to bug out. Yang came barreling out of the makeshift doorway first, blowing by Pyrrha and looping around to find some cover large enough to hide a MEC. Jaune saw Weiss hanging off of an extruding handlebar on Yang's back before turning his attention back to the doorway. Blake dashed out next, her primary weapon locked firmly on her back so that she could scoop up Pyrrha with both hands and dash with her to safety.

What ran out next was the thing that apparently spooked Jaune's teammates. Or rather, Jaune realized that the more appropriate description would be to say that it _floated_ out. It's head shielded by an ornate helmet, and it's thin frame concealed by a long, red cloak, the being emitted an aura of immense power. Jaune watched as it cast its gaze (at least he assumed so: the large helmet hid the creatures eyes from view) on Ruby, who still looked uncharacteristically terrified of something. Purple tendrils slowly snaked from the creature towards his friend, who visibly recoiled once the undulating wisps made contact.

"… Ruby?"

Jaune watched his friend open her eyes. Where he expected the usual silver color, however, Jaune only saw a radiating purple. Without a word, she snapped her rifle to her face and lined up a shot. The creature didn't seem to be the target, however, because Ruby definitely wasn't pointing her rifle at his big, stupid, helmet.

Jaune's heart stopped when he saw Ruby take aim at Nora.

"Ruby, no!" Jaune crashed into Ruby a fraction of a second before she pulled the trigger. Her plasma round streaked through the air and punched through Nora's shoulder armor. The Engineer yelped and dropped to her knees from the pain, unused to the sensation of taking damage without the safety of her Aura. Yang let out a guttural cry, and launched herself at the alien who forced Ruby to shoot her own friend. A thin, pale arm shot out from beneath the red cloak, and a wailing cyclone of psychic energy rushed into existence. Yang got caught in the deadly rift, and felt the mental weight of the assault wreak havoc on her mind.

"Eight!" Jaune growled through his mic, "Get Six patched up. Two and Three, stay out of that vortex, but try to flank the contact. Seven, keep firing. We need to figure out just how many shots it can deflect."

He looked down at the sprawled figure of Ruby before him, her eyes still purple from the psychic connection. Once she managed to recover from the Jaune-induced concussion, the Sniper let out a low growl and pulled her sidearm off her hip, hitting a switch to morph it into a sturdy knife. Jaune, alarmed by Ruby's apparent intentions, backed up slowly, "Ruby… what are you doing? This isn't you, and you know it."

The leader of Strike Eight lunged at Jaune, who barely had enough time to deploy the blast shield on his forearm to deflect the attack. Despite Ruby's smaller frame, Jaune still staggered back from the force of her assault.

"Seven… how much progress are we making with our guest?" Jaune asked, his eyes remaining firmly locked on Ruby.

"Its deflection is extremely impressive, though not perfect. I've managed to score a few hits, but they were all glancing blows. This thing is a lot tougher than it looks."

"Keep trying. It's got some sort of psychic hold over the Lieutenant." He managed to let out a small chuckle, "At least she's only bringing a knife to a gun fight."

The dark comedy of Jaune's situation vanished almost immediately when Ruby pressed a button on her knife that opened a small vent at the base of the blade. A second later, burning plasma started to wash over the business end of her dagger, and Jaune swallowed hard, "Faster would be better, Pyrrha!"

Again, Ruby lunged at Jaune, and he pivoted out of her way while using his shield to redirect her knife once more. His eyes widened when the plasma blade punched through his shield, the plasma hissing dangerously as it cut away at the hardened alloys. Ruby yanked her knife free, and a good chunk of Jaune's shield came with it. He let out a deep breath and tried to remember Pyrrha's training, wracking his brain for an exploitable advantage.

His opponent possessed great skill in melee combat, so Jaune had to find a different way to beat her. Hopefully the psychic link between the alien and Ruby dulled her senses a little bit, as even a slight drop in skill could drastically improve Jaune's chances at survival. He thought back to when he first shoulder-checked her, and remembered that it proved rather effective against Ruby's lighter mass. She'd probably be expecting a similar attempt now, but Jaune figured he still had a size advantage working for him even without the element of surprise.

Ruby launched herself at Jaune, her plasma knife outstretched and ready to punch another hole in Jaune's armor. Before she could reach him, however, Jaune dropped to his hip and used his shield to shove Ruby over his body and send her tumbling to the ground behind him. He quickly recovered from his feint, grabbed some dirt in his hand as he stood up, and threw it into Ruby's face once she turned to attack him again. The distraction lasted long enough for Jaune to get in close and use his shield like a battering ram, and he smashed his armor into Ruby's head, once again sending the smaller huntress sprawled across the ground. When her eyes finally opened, Jaune finally saw the familiar silver irises roll into place.

"You're back," He said, relief flooding his voice.

"My head really hurts, Jaune," Ruby chided, a smirk growing on her face, "But thank you." She let Jaune pull her to her feet and keyed her mic.

"Two and Three, activate your Aura modules, and go in hard and fast." She paused a moment to rub her head and blink a few times. Jaune didn't know whether his actions or the alien's did more to discombobulate Ruby, "Seven, get to Four and shoot her up with your medkit. Eight, now might be a good time to try out that stimpack."

"It should stop shock from setting in." Ren agreed.

"Good. Six, I think we could use a little Magnhild magic to distract this guy while Two and Three move in for the kill."

"With pleasure." Ruby could practically feel the sadism over the comm as Nora spoke. Judging by her tone, Ruby's shoulder blow didn't cause any serious damage, much to the Sniper's relief.

"Let's deal with this jerk and go home, guys."

The hunters hit their Aura modules and leapt into action. Nora pulled her grenade launcher off her back and fired Dust-infused explosives at the mysterious alien. It raised its hands up to telekinetically blocked the grenades, but Nora's rounds still exploded into clouds of obscuring pink mist around her target. The psionic rift locking down Yang finally subsided, and both Ren and Pyrrha raced to her aid. Pyrrha magnetically pulled herself up to Yang's 'cockpit,' granting herself a better vantage point to apply the contents of her medkit. The applicator end of Ren's medkit flipped to reveal a syringe, and Ren performed an Aura-assisted leap to join Pyrrha atop Yang's MEC. He jammed the needle into Yang's neck and discharged the serum into her bloodstream.

With the combined effort of both soldiers, Yang snapped out of her dazed state and protectively put herself between the alien and her JNPR friends. She put away her gun and extended the mobile defensive cover stored on her arm. The additional reinforcements from her suit's Juggernaut armor allowed Yang to strengthen the deployed fortification, and the cover easily concealed all three operatives while they waited for their squadmates to deal with the threat. On the other side of the engagement, Weiss pulled out Myrtenaster while Blake held her gun in one hand. With a flick of the MEC's wrist, Blake watched as the weapon's muzzle retracted and a segmented blade extended from the newly-formed cavity. It didn't hold a candle to Gambol Shroud, but at least the feel of a sword in her hand helped Blake remember the small things in life, like the satisfaction of carving the alien before her into little ribbons.

A field of ice shot up from beneath the alien, freezing around its robes and trapping it in place. A lance of psychic energy shot out from its hand at Blake, but she seemingly displaced herself, leaving a shadow of the MEC to eat the bolt instead while she and Weiss continued to charge. Two more lances erupted from the aliens palms, and Weiss gritted her teeth as one struck her in the chest. Blake briefly hesitated when a third arm came out from beneath the robes to cast the lance, but the shock left as quickly as it came: why would aliens be bound to the two-arms rule that defined humans and faunus? Blake resumed her charge, shadowstepping away from the psychic bolts while Weiss broke off to try and flank the alien's side.

Ruby found a smile growing on her face when she saw Blake field test her newest piece of hardware. Originally an idea spawned by Vahlen, it employed a combination of XCOM's mimic technology and Blake's trademark semblance. When she first became a MEC, Blake quickly discovered that her semblance had become rather dysfunctional. Even with Vahlen's MEC-supported suppressor module, Blake seemed to only be capable of creating a copy of her biological body while dodging. While Blake seemed to shrug it off when talking with her friends and teammates, Ruby could tell that the 'loss' of her semblance demoralized Blake deeply. Yang further confirmed Ruby's suspicions after having a private heart-to-heart with her partner about it. With guilt weighing heavily on her mind, Ruby approached Vahlen with the problem for ideas, and the Doctor thankfully had an answer.

Ruby watched Blake shadowstep once again. Closer observation confirmed that the activated semblance only replicated her friend's head and torso, but Vahlen's solution capitalized on the evanescent characteristic of Blake's 'clone.' By mounting some specialized hardware on the MEC, the suit could project a holographic afterimage that persisted with Blake's shadow. The fact that her clones appeared as static images only served to make the feint easier to pull off. The alignment wasn't perfect, but Blake's target would ideally be dead long before it had a chance to critique her on the inconsistency of her semblance projection.

With twenty feet between Blake's Vanguard and the alien, Blake launched into an aura-assisted leap, raised her sword above her head, and brought it down hard on her foe. A fourth hand came from beneath the robes to help the other three to block the deadly blade, but with the alien's full attention on Blake, it didn't notice Weiss charging in from the side with Myrtenaster outstretched. The rapier pierced clean through the alien's ribs, and the creature let out an ear-splitting shriek from the pain. Blake seized the opportunity offered by Weiss's distraction and vanished once more to deftly sidestep around the alien before bringing her sword up to cleanly decapitate the alien. As its life force vanished, the alien seemed to dissolve into particles of pure psychic energy, leaving nothing but bloodied robes and an ornate helmet behind.

Silence returned to the battlefield, save for Weiss's heavy panting.

"You know," she managed to say between gasps, "I kinda liked it better when the aliens _didn't_ have bullshit powers."

Ruby chuckled at Weiss's complaint, "That's funny, because I'd bet the aliens thought the exact same thing the first time we deployed Vahlen's Aura module. Let's call it a day and head back to the lounge. I could probably use an ice pack and a drink."


	21. Psi Panic

"Ordinarily, I would ask 'what the hell was that,' but I'm assuming that you know about as much as I do." Bradford said as Ruby stepped off of the Skyranger with the rest of Strike Eight, "So instead, I'll ask 'can you tell me _anything_ about what happened out there?' "

Ruby watched the two MECs step off the transport, with Blake supporting a light-headed Yang as they headed off towards the medbay.

"I can tell you a few things," Ruby admitted, "But I'm guessing you already know the most important bit."

"That the last contact was a psionic?"

Ruby nodded, wincing when the action moved her head a little too quickly, "A very powerful psionic. Back in my first op, I think the Sectoid Commander tried to force control over me. I remember getting subconscious suggestions to kill Blake, who was pinned down with me in the auto shop, but the signals weren't strong enough to overpower my self control. This thing, though…" She paused, trying to think of a good comparison, "Imagine you're driving a vehicle. Then all of a sudden, you find yourself in the backseat. You have no idea how you got there, but you're stuck watching someone else driving instead, and he's trying to run down your friends. This thing basically carjacked my body, and I was powerless to watch while it tried to use me to kill Jaune."

When the last member of Strike Eight disembarked, Ruby followed Bradford back to Mission Control while he continued their discussion, "It's not the first time we've had to deal with mind-controlled operatives," Bradford admitted, "But that thing was definitely a contact we've never seen before."

"It talked to me." Ruby noted, unsure if this was also something experienced by other operatives.

Her companion stopped dead in his tracks and stared at Ruby, "He did what?"

"Only I could hear it, so I'm certain it was telepathic communication. I think it called me 'The New One,' and said some stuff that sounded like they planned to use me as an alternative in case the 'Earth Breed' failed to meet their expectations."

"That sounds incredibly disturbing... as if humanity's total annihilation isn't their only goal. Is it testing us? Does it plan to turn us all into genetic paste after it conquers Earth?"

Ruby shrugged, "According to the stories I've heard from Strike One, they're already doing that paste stuff with their abductees. If they need hundreds or thousands of subjects for that kind of thing, what could they possibly do with eight 'New Ones'?"

"I don't know. But do me a favor and don't get captured. I'd rather not find out what these guys have in store for you."

Bradford's joke managed to elicit a laugh from Ruby, "Noted, sir. If you don't mind, I'm going to check on Yang. She took a psychic 'up yours' from our new friend, and I want to make sure she's alright."

"Get to it, Actual. I'll head down to the lab and see what Vahlen's staff can deduce from the remains you brought back." He raised an eyebrow at Ruby, "You sure you had to vaporize him? Vahlen would've appreciated more than ashes to work with."

Ruby shrugged as she left for the medbay, "Look, the thing just disintegrated when it died. Nothing I could do about it, boss."

* * *

By the time Ruby reached the medical wing, Weiss and the entirety of JNPR was already at Yang's bedside. Ruby didn't see Blake with the group, so she figured Blake hadn't finished de-suiting. Weiss shifted to towards the base of the bed to make room for Ruby. The Lieutenant studied the sleeping figure of her sister. On the surface, nothing looked damaged. If Ruby didn't know any better, she'd question why Yang needed to be here.

"Not much to look at," Weiss noted, "All the damage is internal, as you may have already guessed."

"Is it bad?" Ruby asked, mild worry in her tone. She knew her sister possessed incredible fortitude, so Ruby doubted it would take Yang long to shake off the damage. Even so, that psionic attack looked pretty powerful.

"Some scarred brain tissue," Ren answered, "But it's pretty superficial."

"Still, probably not a good idea to go jumping into those rifts for fun." Weiss noted.

Ruby nodded, "That doesn't sound too horrible. Any estimation for how long she'll be in here?"

"Vahlen's initial guess is about a week." Pyrrha said. "She'll get a better idea once Yang starts recovering and the doctor can observe how quickly she heals. Since this is the first time she's encountered this sort of brain injury, she has no precedent to determine a baseline."

"Even if she had a baseline for Earth humans, she definitely doesn't have one for our physiology." Ren pointed out.

Ruby felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to see Jaune, concern on his face, "What about you, Ruby? Yang got hit by that purple vortex, but she's sleeping it off for now. That thing got inside your head and tried to make you kill me. I'm not a doctor or anything, but shouldn't Vahlen have a look at you, too?"

Jaune made a good point, and Ruby felt embarrassed that the thought didn't occur to her, "I… hadn't actually considered that. After you snapped me out of… whatever that was, I didn't really feel any aftereffects of the mind control. I mean, I could probably have the doctor check for a concussion, since you gave me a pretty hard knock, but I feel pretty good, all things considered."

Her friend let out a sigh of relief, "That's good. I was worried that the alien did more than try to mind control you. What if he planted some sort of, I dunno, psychic bug that could be triggered remotely or something? I know it sounds stupid, but-"

"Jaune," Ruby cut her friend off with a reassuring smile, "First off, we're currently living in a world where aliens can burst from your chest or control you like a puppet with their mind: nothing sounds stupid anymore. Second, I'll talk to Vahlen and see if she can run some sort of scan. The psionic labs have been operational for months now, so I'm guessing they're well-equipped to detect any sort of funny business rattling around in my noggin Who knows? You might be right."

Jaune smiled back at her, "Yeah, okay. Just be careful, alright? That was some seriously scary stuff that happened back there on the field."

Before Ruby could answer, Blake came charging into the medbay. Her eyes locked onto the group standing around Yang's bed, and the servos in her mechanical legs whirred as she made a beeline for her partner. Before she even reached the bed, Blake began to rapid-fire questions at her friends, "How is she? What did Vahlen say? Is she okay? What did that thing do to her?"

Ruby waved her hands in an effort to calm down the flustered Blake, "Relax, relax! She's fine! Just a little internal damage, but nothing that-"

Yang sitting bolt upright in bed, her eyes as wide as saucers cut off Ruby mid-sentence. Short, ragged breaths made it seem like she just finished running sprints down in the armory, despite the fact that she spent the last half hour bed-ridden.

"Yang…?"

Ruby's expression matched Yang's as soon as her older sister flew into a coughing fit. The metallic hand she brought to her mouth came away flecked with blood.

"Nora," Ruby said, "go get the doctor." As Nora ran out to retrieve Vahlen, the leader of Strike Eight turned to her partner, panic on the edge of her tone, "Weiss, what's happening? Vahlen said she'd be okay, didn't she?"

Weiss shook her head, voice filled with tension and concern, "I don't know. That's what she told us before she left. She never said anything like 'Oh, and by the way, Yang might wake up and start coughing blood, so be ready for that.' I have no idea what's causing her to react like this."

"We need to stay calm down guys," Pyrrha started, trying to play the voice of reason, even though her own tone betrayed her fears, "This might not be that bad…"

"It hurts…" Yang moaned. Her words were quiet, but carried the weight of someone suffering from hours of pain. She coughed again, and brought up more blood, "Oh Dust, it _hurts_!"

Blake grabbed her partner by the shoulders and turned Yang to face her, "Yang? _Yang._ Look at me." With bleary eyes, Yang tried to focus on Blake, "What hurts?"

Yang's mutter barely reached above a whisper, "Ev… everything… s'like I got hit by… a truck."

Doctor Vahlen strode into the room, flanked by a pair of orderlies with Nora hot on their heels, "Everybody stand back!" The doctor reached the monitoring equipment tracking Yang's vitals and quickly scanned the information readouts.

"Impossible…" she whispered, "None of you are at all psionically sensitive, I… I ran tests. How is this reaction even happening?"

"Doctor?"

"The instruments are registering heavy spikes of psionic activity in her brain patterns. This is the sort of thing I was looking for during your psychic testing, but I found _nothing_."

"Is it supposed to be causing her extreme pain?"

Vahlen shook her head, "Absolutely not. Small headaches are common for newly-awakened psi operatives, but nothing more." She gave Yang a sad look, "From what I've learned of Sergeant Xiao Long in these last months, she's incredibly sturdy. If she says it hurts, then the pain must be very severe."

More coughing and more blood erupting from Yang's mouth punctuated the Chief Scientist's statement.

"What can we do?"

The doctor sighed, "All I can think of is to take her down to the Psionic Labs. If we can sync her with one of the test chambers, maybe I can dampen the psychic energy running rampant in her nervous system."

"I thought MECs couldn't undergo psi testing."

"They can't." Vahlen confirmed, "I will have to jury-rig one of the machines to properly interface with Sergeant Xiao Long. It's a bit of a long shot, but my other ideas are even longer." She turned to her two assistants, "I want the operative transported to the Labs. Immediately."

Once the orderlies started to prep Yang, Vahlen addressed the rest of Strike Eight, her gaze lingering on Blake, "You may accompany us if you'd like, but I must ask that you do not crowd me while I work. Doing so will do nothing beneficial for your friend, and will likely run counter to my efforts."

Blake nodded, though Vahlen's assumption regarding her behavior slightly annoyed the huntress, "Of course."

"Good. Let's go."

The members of RWBY and JNPR followed Vahlen out of the medbay while the two orderlies followed close behind with a quietly moaning Yang. Ruby kept telling herself that Yang suffered worse injuries in the past, and that she would be fine, but another part of her didn't quite believe that.

* * *

Three days passed since Vahlen brought Yang to the Psionic Labs. The doctor's gambit worked, and the equipment she had in the facility allowed her to bring the psionic spikes down to a much more controllable level. Yang remained in the lab, however, because any attempt to remove the damping field resulted in the pain returning. Vahlen promised to develop some hardware that Yang could use to 'carry' the field with her. The solution meant that Yang couldn't use her Aura Module, however, because the electric surge used to break the Aura suppression would negatively affect the psionic dampener.

Even though Yang spent most of her time asleep in her psi chamber, Ruby still 'kept her company' whenever she had free time. She felt tempted to spend her time in Shen's workshop to feel more productive, but she reminded herself what happened the last time she traveled down that road. Instead, the Chief Engineer made a point of stopping by the Psionic Labs at least once a day to bring Ruby some food and keep her company while she maintained her vigil. During one such visit, Bradford's voice rang out over the base-wide PA system.

"This is Central, I need all Strike Leaders to report to Mission Control ASAP. Repeat, _all_ Strike Leaders to Mission Control."

Ruby groaned. More than anything, she wanted to be with Yang right now, but Bradford would only summon all the squad leaders for something extremely important. She glanced over at her friends, who all gave her a variety of sympathetic looks.

"Go." Shen told her with a reassuring smile, "If Vahlen learns anything new about Yang, good or bad, I'll personally interrupt Bradford's meeting and tell you myself."

Ruby flashed her friend an appreciative smile before dusting herself off and heading up to Mission Control.

By the time she reached Bradford's center of operations, Ruby could practically taste the tension in the air. Where usually there'd only be a handful of techs manning the terminals flanking the hologlobe, someone manned every single station with a headset and a focused expression. Bradford stood at his usual podium with seven XCOM operatives standing around waiting for instructions. Ruby jogged the last twenty steps to reach Bradford, and eight set of eyes turned to look at her.

"Sorry," She apologized, "I was down in the Psi Labs with Yang and Shen when you gave the order for a meeting. Some idiot thought it would be hilarious to push every single button on the elevator before I got on."

Bradford nodded in understanding, "And how is Sergeant Xiao Long? I've been meaning to congratulate Doctor Vahlen on her quick thinking and ingenuity in finding a way to defuse your sister's… situation."

Ruby shrugged, "She sleeps most of the time, but Yang's coherent while she's awake. A little loopy, but definitely all there. Vahlen says she'll be able to be out and about in another day or two when she finishes building a portable dampening field."

Bradford nodded, satisfied with Ruby's report, "The doctor and I both agreed that, while the Neural Damping genetic modification would probably do the trick, we didn't want to run the risk of the operation having permanent adverse effects on your sister. I hope the prototype field does it's job."

"Thank you, sir."

Ruby's update on Yang now finished, Bradford began the meeting, "As it turns out, the reason I called you all here may actually have something to do with the incident that put Lieutenant Rose's squadmate in the labs." He gestured back towards the extremely active Mission Control, "It's also the reason why things have been a bit busy down here for the last twenty minutes."

"Something big, then." Van Doorn stated.

"Indeed. Roughly thirty minutes ago, our satellite network picked up a new contact."

Zhang let out a soft hum, "Something bigger than their Battleships? I shudder to consider the prospect."

"Fortunately not." Bradford assured the Colonel, "Unfortunately, size may not be the greater issue here. Our network only picked it up because of the integrated Hyperwave Relay we have patched into our detection net. One of the techs monitoring the big hunk of metal reported activity, which prompted the personnel here in Mission Control to run an augmented sweep. Usually, we only use the relay once we've confirmed a contact to tap into their communications and get an idea of crew composition. We never thought to use it to run the scan in the first place."

"So if the craft was only detected because you used the relay for the sweep…"

"… It means the contact has extremely advanced stealth capabilities, yes." Bradford confirmed, "Also, communications picked up by the Hyperwave Relay included an unrecognized classification for one of the crew members, so it's likely the same type of contact Strike Eight had trouble with on their op. Based on the rudimentary linguistics we've gleaned from the Hyperwave communications so far, the new alien's classification is loosely translated as 'Ethereal.' "

Van Doorn chuckled, "Sounds pretty ominous to me. You know what they say, though: the bigger they are…"

"Indeed." Bradford agreed with a smile, "It's about the size of a Destroyer-class UFO, so it might be relying on stealth rather than firepower for survival. However, we're not taking any chances with this one. The plan is to outfit two of our Firestorms with the best equipment available and try splashing this son-of-a-bitch."

For the first time since the meeting began, Ruby spoke, "So you called us here to determine the squad composition that's going to investigate the craft once it's shot down?"

The Central Officer nodded, "Precisely. My gut reaction is to just call in Strike One, but we've got one or two other high-priority ops coming down the pipe, and I don't want to exhaust all of XCOM's A-team players. We'll certainly need a few of the best, but I'd like the squads leaders to propose and agree upon a suitable team for the crashed landing."

"I want to go." Ruby said, "I don't care if standard procedure dictates that I still have required R&R after the last operation. If one of these Ethereals is on-board, I really want to give some payback on Sergeant Xiao Long's behalf."

Bradford gave Ruby an odd look, "Honestly, I called you here just so you'd be in the loop, but if you're sure… I can't think of a reasonable objection."

Ruby nodded, "I'm sure. Aliens almost killed my sister, so I want to kill some aliens. A lot of aliens, actually."

"Man, somebody's feeling salty." One of the other squad leaders commented. Ruby didn't recognize him, but his shoulder patch indicated he was from Strike Six, "It's cool, though. I know that feeling. I'll second Lieutenant Rose's self-nomination for this mission."

The Central Officer shrugged, "If you're sure, then I've got no objections. Let's keep moving."

The discussion continued until the operatives agreed upon seven other operatives to join Ruby for the mission. Colonel Zhang and Captain Durand volunteered themselves as ranking officers for the mission, with Zhang in command. Ruby had no objection whatsoever: This was not a Strike Eight op, and so she had no right to claim the role of squad leader. Besides, she just wanted to kill some aliens. Letting somebody else handle all the orders would be a nice change of pace. The fact that she liked Zhang didn't hurt, either.

In addition to the officers, the squad leaders agreed upon two MECs (Ruby managed to successfully advocate for Blake, who she knew would also want an opportunity for payback on Yang's behalf), two gene-modded soldiers, and a second psionic from the various Strike teams to fill out the roster. Ruby thought that the team they assembled looked very solid, and she felt even better knowing that Van Doorn shared the same sentiment. After a minute of casual chatter about the team and mission, Bradford once again called everyone's attention.

"I just received word that the Firestorms have been launched. Expected time until contact is roughly thirty minutes. The plan is to launch the Skyranger as soon as the UFO is shot down, so I recommend gearing up now and standing by for launch."

* * *

"This is Eightball, we've got eyes on the bandit."

After getting her gear prepped for the operation, Ruby returned to Mission Control to watch the interceptors duke it out with the unknown contact. On a professional level, she decided that watching would help her get an idea of how challenging the following mission might be. If the ship turned out to be heavily armed, then it stands to reason that the passengers possessed similarly powerful equipment. Knowing the ship's strength could help Strike Two (so named because Zhang was the commanding officer) approach the downed craft with a properly-tuned strategy. One could argue that _not_ watching the dogfight would be dereliction of duty, as it meant going into the AO without any sort of prior knowledge of the enemy.

On a personal level, Ruby just wanted to watch a UFO get shot to hell.

Five minutes after she arrived, Colonel "Eightball" Lucerno and Captain "Freebird" Leonard reached their target over Canadian airspace.

"Enemy is padlocked." Freebird confirmed, "Weapons hot."

The moment the two small interceptors closed to engage the UFO, a flurry of plasma shot out from multiple ports on the alien ship's hull. The two Firestorms banked hard to dodge the salvo before Eightball called out, "Jesus _fuck_ , this thing is packing."

"Prioritize defensive measures." Bradford answered, "We can continue searching for the contact with the Hyperwave Relay if it manages to escape this time."

"Understood sir. Re-routing excess power from Plasma Cannons to maneuvering thrusters and plasma dispersion modules. Wingtip Sparrowhawks are live. We're moving in for another run."

The Firestorms tried a two-pronged approach the second time around, forcing the UFO's gunners to split up the ship's offensive capabilities if they wanted to hit both targets. For a craft the size of a Destroyer-class vessel, it had agility on par with a Scout. However, the Firestorms still held a small speed advantage. Another stream of plasma raced towards the interceptors, but their improved handling let the pilots dodge the shots without breaking off. Two stray bolts managed to strike the hull of one Firestorm, but there appeared to be no damage beyond scorch marks.

"Dispersion modules are holding." Eightball reported, "Remind me to buy Shen a beer when we get back."

After the UFO's systems finished firing and began their cooldown cycle, Eightball and Freebird shot back. Their plasma cannons boomed and launched miniature green suns at the ship while the Sparrowhawks detached and ignited their boosters to follow shortly thereafter. The UFO juked to dodge Freebird's offensive, but flew right into Eightball's volley in the process. Plasma burned through the hull while the secondary explosives splashed against the hardened metals.

"Plasma's effective, sir, but the Sparrowhawks aren't cutting it. Weapon-shifting remaining missiles to Nighthawk-class breaching explosives."

In response to the UFO's third attack, Eightball dodged high while his wingman dropped low. The Colonel rolled 180 degrees, and the two pilots angled back towards the ship for another run. Ruby felt shivers as she watched the display of airmanship before her. The interceptors weaved an intricate dance with the UFO, sneaking in powerful blows from their plasma cannons in between acrobatic maneuvers meant to dodge enemy fire. Their defense wasn't flawless by any means, and burn marks and twisted metal began to build up in the surface of both Firestorms as the alien gunners landed hits of their own. Eightball's decision to switch to Nighthawks turned out to be prudent: where the Sparrowhawks splashed harmlessly off of the ship's heavy armor, the denser Nighthawk warheads managed to punch through. Even though they carried a smaller explosive payload, the Nighthawks detonated behind the armor, and therefore provided meaningful contributions to the damage race.

"Damn, this thing sure has a lot of juice." Freebird commented, "How much more punishment can it take?"

"Hopefully less than we can." Eightball answered, "I'm starting to feel the heat over here."

"Well, if you can give me some covering fire, I can get in close and EMP the motherfucker."

"Be careful, Captain." Bradford cut in, "Remember my order to prioritize defense over aggression. Your Firestorm is too valuable to lose."

"Understood, Central, but this asshole _really_ needs to get splashed. Permission to engage at close range, sir?"

Ruby knew it was a gamble: going in close would let Freebird hit the ship with his powerful EMP Cannon, but it made him an easier target for the UFO to shoot down. Ruby knew it, Bradford knew it, and the pilots almost definitely knew it. And yet…

"Granted." Bradford sighed, "Though I think you know my thoughts on close range."

"Yeah, well, we can't let those kids in Strike Eight have all the up-close-and-personal fun. Switching to EMP."

… They initiated the plan while making jokes about the danger. Ruby didn't know if she could keep such a level head if she was the one in the cockpit. Eightball began to pepper the UFO with lower-powered plasma rounds. The reduced strain on his cannons allowed the Colonel could throw out a much higher volume of shots instead. Freebird dropped down low, possibly in an attempt to convince the aliens he planned to break pursuit, before pitching hard and tearing through the sky towards the UFO.

A wave of plasma streaked towards the daring Firestorm, and Freebird rolled hard to avoid it. However, his proximity to the ship meant a much smaller window to react, and so a large portion of the volley crashed into his interceptor.

"Well that hurt," Freebird reported, "but now it's my turn, you little shit."

The EMP cannon hummed to life and pulsed its energetic payload at the target. The UFO shuddered from the hit, and again from the followup strike. In a last ditch effort, it launched one more salvo of plasma at the Firestorm.

" _Shit!_ " Freebird cried as the plasma started to melt his interceptor's hull. "I'm getting chewed up over here!"

The second Firestorm appeared in front of Freebird, its own frame shimmering with energy as it tanked the remaining plasma fire for the Captain. Eightball's voice came over the comms, "I got you covered. Though I think you're the one that owes Shen a beer now."

"Shit, I'll buy that glorious bastard a goddamn case after this."

The plasma fire ceased, and Eightball banked out of Freebird's path, "Dispersion modules are shot. Don't fuck this up, 'cause you're not getting another chance."

Freebird ignored the jab and instead discharged his EMP Cannon once more. The engines on the UFO flickered briefly before dying altogether, and the ship dropped out of the sky shortly thereafter.

Eightball reported, "Contact is down" amid an eruption of cheers and applause in Mission Control. Bradford turned to Ruby, nodded, and the Lieutenant left to report for duty at the Skyranger. Whatever aliens waited for her team at the crash site, she only knew one thing.

Vahlen's freezer of corpses would be overflowing before Ruby felt like she killed enough aliens to satisfy her rage.

* * *

A/N: A reader suggested that I apply a little "Remnant Magic" to XCOM's air game, and this is the result. I thought it would be fun to try my hand at an air battle, and the Overseer fight seemed like a good one to go with. Hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did!


	22. Mind Merge

From within the cargo hold of the Skyranger, Colonel Zhang's voice boomed with authority as he addressed his squad.

"Final weapons check and sound off." He checked the fresh power supply locked into his Plasma Dragon before nodding, "Two-Actual, ready."

Anette's French accent followed the Colonel, "Two-Two, ready."

"Two-Three, ready." Ruby answered after the Captain.

The first MEC, a Valkyrie known as 'D.O.A.', confirmed next, " _Two-Four, ready._ "

The squad's bioelectric-skinned Medic, 'Sentinel,' "Two-Five, ready."

" _Two-Six, ready._ " Ruby noted the cold undertone in Blake's voice.

The squad's second psionic, an Engineer nicknamed 'Duke,' "Two-Seven, ready."

"Two-Eight, ready." 'Desperado,' Pyrrha's Infantry mentor rounded out the team's sound off. Ruby smiled at the pair of cat ears sticking out from beneath the soldier's beret. It seems he'd received a few more upgrades since the last time they fought alongside each other.

Zhang stood up and looked over his seven squadmates, a critical look in his eye. The Colonel seemed to find whatever he was looking for, because he gave the group a silent nod of approval. For the first time since meeting him, Ruby noticed the weathered experience etched into his face. Maybe because she'd only ever been with him on missions where he was a guest in Strike Eight's squad, he fell into a 'follow orders and shoot what Ruby targets' rhythm. Now, though, he had command of the squad, and Ruby could definitely feel the air of authority about the Colonel. The scrutiny she saw in his eyes spoke volumes of his combat experience and ability to determine how to overcome his foes with the tactical usage of his team. While she felt a twinge of jealousy knowing that her own commanding skills left a lot to be desired, Ruby found Zhang's imposing presence to be a source of comfort more than anything else. They would all get through this, Chilong would see to that.

"The UFO dropped into a small Canadian town. Civilians were smart enough to clear out the moment it struck, so worrying about friendlies will be a non-issue. If it moves, kill it. Two and Six will be on point while everyone else follows behind. I want our trigger-happy weapon specialists outputting maximum firepower against whatever target the point team lights up. Hardened robotic targets are a top priority while they remain operational. Three will lead off with a disabling shot to give HEAT specialists the opportunity to bring the contact's weapon platforms offline before it has a chance to return fire."

He glanced at the Engineer, "Should our opposition have psionic capabilities, I want Inspiration up to keep our soldiers from panicking. A mind merge on the Pathfinder wouldn't hurt, either." He looked at Anette and smirked, "I don't think I need to tell you what to do."

"Damn right you don't." Anette flashed a grin back at him.

"Long story short," Zhang continued, "Don't fight stupid. If you fight stupid, I'll have to pull your weight for you, and that will annoy me. You were all handpicked for this operation by your respective squad leaders. Do not disappoint them."

The pilot called over the internal PA system, "We're approaching the crash site. You all done with your pep talk, Colonel?"

"Just finished." Zhang answered, "I appreciate your patience."

"Anytime, buddy. Alright, we're touching down now. Doors open in three… two…"

The metallic gangplank dropped, and Strike Two stepped off into the cold Canadian night. Without a word, all eight soldiers took up defensive positions behind walls and rubble to avoid getting caught out in the open by a wandering patrol. With weapons steadied and ready for a surprise incursion, Zhang gave his first order, "Six, a drop a scanner over the wall in front of us."

Blake hunched over, aimed her proximity mine launcher, and sent one of the lightweight discs sailing through the air. It bounced off the top of the wall and landed without a sound on the far side. Once armed, the secondary function activated and provided Blake with a clear picture of what lay in store for the team.

" _Contacts,_ " Blake confirmed, " _Elites and Berserkers standing guard at the UFO's entryway._ "

Zhang nodded, "Of course there are. Point Team, there's a convenience store on the far side of the engagement field. Skirt around the edge and work through it with Two-Five. Three, take to the sky and provide long-range support while the rest of us move forward and prepare a two-pronged attack with the Point Team.

Sentinel grinned, "Maybe it's one of those famous Tim Horton's. I could get you a coffee and donuts if you'd like, sir."

Zhang rolled his eyes while the Medic hitched a ride on the back of Blake's frame. Ruby watched her friend dash off with Anette to flank the aliens. Ruby ignited the thrusters on her Seraph armor and rose into the chilly air where she tracked the progress of the other four operatives through her scope.

" _Six here. More contacts inside the store. Mixed squad of Thin Men and a Heavy Floater._ "

Ruby snapped her rifle around to see if she could get a line of sight to Blake's targets.

"Actual, this is Three. I can see the store from here, but there are no skylights for me to get a lock on the Point Team's targets."

"Then Six will come down through the roof and make a skylight. The noise should draw the attention of the UFO's guards, and the Front Team can hammer them while they dig in against Point. Two, get that Heavy locked down."

Ruby watched Blake's MEC rocket to the roof of the mart before she brought her Kinetic Strike Module crashing down into the concrete. The Pathfinder disappeared amid the rain of rubble and smoke, and Ruby heard the sound of crashing glass as Anette dashed in to engage from the ground floor. Almost as quickly as Blake entered the mart through the roof, the Heavy Floater came sailing out the hole. Ruby watched as the alien tried to put as much distance between itself and the starting skirmish.

Easy target for Ruby, who sighted the flier through her scope. A shot made even easier once the Heavy Floater stopped moving long enough to look back and make sure nobody followed it during the escape. A high-powered plasma round pierced the Heavy through the back of its helmet, and the alien roared in pain before turning to face Ruby. With a small yelp, Ruby cut power to her thrusters to dodge the three-round burst of plasma the alien sent her way. A supersonic streak from below cleanly punched through the Heavy Floater's armor and sent the hostile's lifeless carcass plummeting to the earth.

" _Target eliminated._ " The Valkyrie called over the comm line.

Ruby reignited her thrusters and once again took stock of the field. Through the Blake's makeshift skylight, Ruby could see that the skirmish with the Thin Men could be better described as a massacre. The sealed air systems of Blake's MEC and Anette's Titan Armor rendered the poison spit of their foes useless. At close range, Blake's sword and Anette's Reflex Cannon proved more than a match for the infiltration-focused Thin Men.

"Oh, _merde_!"

Ruby couldn't see the cause of Anette's expletive, but she definitely heard it a few seconds later. The sound of three grenades going off, coupled with the sight of the mart's wall blasting wide open told Ruby that something fishy happened with Point Team's targets.

" _We're alright._ " Blake assured the team, " _Be advised: it appears that Thin Men are now rigged with plasma charges to detonate upon death. Recommend elimination at range from now on._ "

"Oh Bradford's gonna have a field day with this news." Desperado commented. Ruby could practically hear his eyes rolling as he mimicked the Central Officer's voice. "I told you, I bloody told you…"

"I don't think Central is British, Eight." Anette retorted.

"We have bigger issues." Zhang cut in, bringing the squad's focus back on the combat at hand. The Muton guards took up firing positions to counter the Point Team. Two-Five tossed some smoke down to the ground floor just in time to cover for Blake and Anette against the first fusillade from the Elites.

"Alright Actual," Anette called out over comms, "We have their attention. Would you be so kind as to bail us out?"

"We're setting up firing lanes now, Two. Hold fast."

Ruby watched Zhang's team move beyond the wall and into the UFO's line of sight. The MEC took up a front position while the three biologicals took cover a few paces behind. All four operatives raised their weapons and fired an opening volley at the Elites. Plasma crashed into their exposed backs, and a good third of the defenders dropped instantly from the flanking strike. The remainder fell back to better cover and hunkered down. From Ruby's position, she watched additional armor plating extend along their arms and chest.

"Actual, this is Three. Looks like the x-rays have managed to reverse engineer our Juggernaut technology and equipped the Elites with it. If it's anything like what we've got, they'll be tough nuts to crack."

"Understood, Three. Let's see if their new toys stand up to HEAT ammunition."

"Say, Actual…" the Medic started, concern in his voice, "Didn't Six say something about Berserkers?"

Silence followed over the radio, and Ruby's skin started to crawl once she reached the same realization as Two-Five. She watched Two-Eight tense up before he shouted, "We've got incoming!"

Zhang had just enough time to raise his Titan Shield before the first Berserker dropped out of stealth and sent him sprawling with a powerful swing. Ruby steadied her rifle, spent a fraction of a second to aim, and fired a plasma bolt that slammed into the alien's chest. Two-Eight raised his Plasma Rifle and fired into thin air. The plasma raced forward and hit a second concealed Berserker, revealing it to the rest of the team. The Valkyrie staggered backwards, and a third Berserker, latched onto the MEC's front plating, phased into view.

"Well, this is just _dandy_." Ruby muttered to herself, lining up a shot with the alien busy tearing off hardware from Two-Four's frame. "Point Team, can you deal with the Elites while we work on this 'Zerker problem?"

"Already on it." Anette answered. Ruby heard the sound of a crash and allowed herself a quick glance over to the Elite fight. She saw Anette and Blake charging the Elite holdout while their Medic remain on the roof to keep the aliens locked down with suppressive fire. Additionally, she noticed one of the Elites crushed against the UFO wall, pinned underneath a large vending machine. All Ruby could manage was, "Uh… Six?"

" _It's called improvising._ "

"You do know that rule 25b-"

" _I don't want to hear it, Three_."

Ruby rolled her eyes. At least that problem seemed to be in good hands.

It only took a few seconds for Zhang to recover from the Berserker's opening strike, but he lost his grip on the LMG during the attack. The Colonel's muscled foe stood between him and his Plasma Dragon, and the alien seemed to know it. The Berserker cut off every attempt Zhang made to carefully circle around and reach his Plasma Dragon. Pound for pound, the Muton had a very muscular advantage over Zhang, a fact that the Gunner became increasingly aware of as the alien began charging at him.

While Ruby wanted to help the Colonel, D.O.A.'s problem required more immediate attention. The airborne sniper scored a clean shot against the MEC's Berserker buddy, but sheer force of determination allowed it to remain firmly locked onto Two-Four's front. The alien held on inside the minimum striking range of the Valkyrie's Kinetic Strike Module, so the only thing Two-Four could do was try backpedaling to make room for a punch. The Berserker remained firmly locked with the MEC, but a volley of plasma to the alien's back finally brought it down. Ruby looked to see the squad's Infantryman slam a new powercell into his rifle.

The telltale sound of Blake deploying her blade once again pulled Ruby's attention to the Point Team's fight with the Elites. The two closest to Anette had body shields deployed while the three in the back tried to keep her at bay with plasma fire. Blake charged with her Assault teammate, but broke off once the plasma started to fly. In one swift movement, she used her drift thrusters to slide left while leaving a faint afterimage behind.

The Elites fired plasma at the afterimage, which dissipated immediately upon contact, but the fake served its purpose. Twice more, Blake shadowstepped around the cover and ended up flanking the aliens from behind. Anette shot at the blockers with Breaching Ammo loaded into her Reflex Cannon. The penetrating rounds easily chewed through the first Elite's shield, leaving it with little more than scrap metal for protection. The momentum of her charge coupled with the defensive strength of her power armor allowed Anette to effectively shoulder check the alien. Anette's maneuver didn't have quite the same _oomph_ as that of a MEC, but it stumbled the Elite nonetheless.

While Anette's frontal crash kept the aliens distracted, Blake moved in for the kill from the rear. Even with their improved armor, the lethal combination combination of Blake's razor-sharp sword and several thousand pounds of MEC-propelled force proved too much for their comparatively vulnerable neck armor. Blake managed to decapitate two of them before they even noticed her. While the second blocker busied itself with counter-crashing Anette, the remaining gunner turned to face Blake. She easily shadow-dodged the first few plasma rounds, but the Elite kept firing while it laterally swept the gun's muzzle towards Blake's new location. Several of the shots splashed across the MEC's frame, leaving multiple burn scars and one ugly-looking hole.

" _Damage suggests the Elites now carry HEAT-class ammunition. Be advised._ "

Because the situation wasn't already bad enough without that little surprise. Still, it seemed like both teams had the upper hand in their respective skirmishes. Zhang struggled against his Berserker opponent without his weapon, but the squad's Infantryman found himself in a position to assist the Colonel against the muscled Muton. With any luck, they'd wrap up soon and the team could proceed-

Two loud crashes interrupted Ruby's train of thought, and she turned to see smoke billowing out of two new craters on the battlefield. Once the obscuring clouds began to clear, Ruby saw the beady eyes of two Sectopods gazing through the haze.

"Oh come on!" She yelled in frustration, "How is that even _remotely_ fair?"

"Not sure what you're talking about." Two-Eight responded, pausing to pump a few balls of plasma into the Berserker chasing Zhang, "This is a pretty standard Tuesday for Strike Five."

Ruby fired a shot that cleanly punched through the Berserker's skull, "Strike Five… that's Captain Beagle's squad, isn't it?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Remind me to never accept an offer from your CO to join you guys on an op."

"Lieutenant," Zhang cut in, "The Sectopods, if you please…"

The first walker already retracted its defensive plating to reveal the superheavy Plasma Cannon beneath. Ruby toggled her rifle to the EMP power source, took aim, and fired. The statically charged round streaked across the field and buried itself within the vulnerable cannon. Tendrils of discharging electricity arced across the Sectopod's body, confirming Ruby's hit.

"First contact is disabled, Actual. I give it ten seconds before the cannon cycles up again."

Ruby looked down to see Zhang with his LMG shifted into a hammer and watched him break the back of the last Berserker. He looked back at Ruby and gave her a thumbs up, "Understood. MECs, lock down the second contact."

" _Moving. Caution: target is about to fire_."

Blake was right. The EMP cell in Ruby's Plasma Sniper Rifle only had enough juice for one shot at a Sectopod before its recharging circuits needed time to prepare for another attempt. With two targets to deal with, Ruby only had the capability to disable one.

" _Take cover behind me_."

The squad's Valkyrie dropped to one knee, his Juggernaut plating already locked into place as he deployed the armor's mobile cover barrier. Purple tendrils rose from the squad's Engineer and quickly reinforced the MEC, providing a powerful psionic boost to shield his ally from the worst of the Sectopod's attack. A small grenade rolled to the base of the MEC's shield and exploded into a cloud of purple smoke, courtesy of the squad's Medic. The three soldiers with Two-Four immediately slid into the protective cover offered by their ally. The Sectopod fired, saturating as much of the obscuring fog as possible with its deadly ordnance. While the dense smoke forced much of the robot's firepower to miss, several shots struck the armored MEC. Sparks flew and burning plasma burrowed into its hardware, but the Valkyrie pilot didn't succumb to the damage.

Before the Sectopod had a chance to re-deploy its defensive armor, Blake leapt up from behind and slammed her sword straight through the exposed internals. Her robotic foe staggered around to face the surprise attacker, only to be met with a blast from Anette's Reflex Cannon. Blake's strike let Anette avoid the Sectopod's heaviest armor, allowing the deadly breaching ammo to wreak havoc on her robotic foe.

"Two and Six have the second contact locked down. All units, fire on Eight-Three's target!" Zhang barked.

The Colonel readied his Plasma Dragon alongside Two-Four, armor still smoking from the Sectopod's barrage, and the pair unleashed a hailstorm of HEAT-boosted fire upon the Sectopod. Along with Two-Seven's anti-tank explosives and Two-Eight's supporting fire, Zhang's team successfully crippled its target. The bright eyes of the Sectopod flickered before dying, and the robot collapsed to the floor with a small explosion.

Blake yanked her blade out of the second Sectopod and stowed it on her back in its rifle form. Her foe sparked and swayed from the damage it took, but it remained standing despite the punishment. A small port underneath it's main body opened, and a pintle-mounted Plasma Rifle deployed from within the Sectopod's frame. Before anyone had time to react, the Plasma Rifle sprayed a wave of gunfire at Zhang's team and forced them back into cover. Several bolts struck Two-Eight square in the chest and knocked him off his feet.

"Operative down!" Zhang shouted, "Five, haul ass to my position. Six, we need that armament taken out ASAP."

" _Engaging target_."

Ruby watched her friend warm up her Kinetic Strike hardware before a wave of sparks across her frame indicated the activation of her Aura Module. She threw a quick jab at the Sectopod to get its attention. Before it even turned to face her, the robot swung it's highly-mobile weapon around and started to hose Blake with plasma fire. At least, that was the Sectopod's plan, but Blake's highly mobile suit dashed out of the way half a second before the gun fired and left nothing but a shadow behind for the construct to shoot at. Without the luxury of time to launch a full-strength rocket punch at her foe, Blake settled for rapid strikes from her flaming module between jumps. After mere seconds of her assault, the Sectopod's body became coated in burning jellied Elerium.

Blake jumped back, waited for the mounted gun to bear down on her, and dashed forward before dropping into an extended slide. As she passed under the Sectopod's chassis, she reached up and grabbed hold of the cords running down from the robot's guts and into the Plasma Rifle. The momentum of her slide allowed Blake to pull the cords free and effectively cut off the weapon from its power supply. The Sectopod staggered forward as another HEAT round from Two-Four's Particle Cannon punched through its frame from behind, and Blake took the opportunity to properly wind up her Strike Module. Her fist smashed through the Sectopod's flame-weakened armor and embedded itself deep within the target's 'head.' Blake planted one foot on the Sectopod's face and rip her fist free of the twisted wreckage.

Silence fell upon the battlefield while Strike Two breathed a collective sigh. While the two MECs tag-teamed the second Sectopod, the squad's Medic successfully brought Two-Eight back to consciousness. With no further contacts showing themselves, the operatives seized the opportunity to regroup and run a weapons and ammo check.

"Everybody up and functioning?" Zhang asked.

" _Two-Seven has finished repair operations._ " The Valkyrie confirmed, " _I am running at 80 percent of optimal capacity_."

"A little dazed, but I'll be good to go when we move out." Two-Eight added.

Ruby landed next to Zhang, "My reserves of jetpack fuel are pretty much dry, but I don't think we'll be needing that for the UFO breach."

Zhang nodded, "Understood. Six?"

" _Aura module is recharged and ready for use_."

"Excellent. Then it's time for us to proceed with the mission."

Strike Two readied weapons and cautiously approached the UFO's exterior. Scarring from the recent battle, along with burn marks caused by the dogfight with the Firestorms, greatly disfigured the ship's hull. However, the usual life support shields remained intact, and nothing looked collapsed inside the ship as far as Ruby could see.

The two MECs took point with Anette while Ruby lagged in the rear with Zhang. Ruby used the team's slow approach as an opportunity to talk with the Colonel.

"That opening could've gone better." She quietly noted.

"It also could have gone a lot worse," Zhang countered, not even turning to look at her, "We're adapting to counter the invasion's strengths. It's no surprise that they're attempting to do the same."

"Invisible Berserkers, though…" Ruby shuddered, "It was bad enough when they got spliced with the Thin Men's jumpy legs so they could reach our guys shooting down on them from rooftops."

Zhang chuckled, "That was a nasty surprise, wasn't it?" The team stopped for a moment for Blake to launch a Scanner-Mine into the UFO's interior. Zhang turned to Ruby with a serious look on his face, "How are you feeling?"

Ruby tried to give a nonchalant shrug, "I'm killing aliens, so I'm feeling pretty good. You?"

"That's not what I asked, Lieutenant. How are you _feeling_?"

"Stressed." Ruby admitted, "Back on Remnant, the idea of training as a huntress sounded so glamorous. During our initiation, we found ourselves in a few dangerous situations and managed to overcome the odds without issue. It was _fun_. This…?" She gestured vaguely, though she knew Zhang understood her meaning, "This is not fun. Soldiers inches away from death, sometimes needing their limbs chopped off to save them… soldiers _actually_ dying… watching people you know to be strong-willed start to crack under the stress…" She looked at Zhang, and the Colonel saw bottled-up weariness start to flow through her expression, "How have you guys managed to keep it together for this long?"

"Because we must." Zhang answered, "If we don't, we lose. It's easier said than done, of course, but it helps that Earth is our home and we are vested in its defense. It also helps to have people to talk to."

" _Contacts on the bridge_." Blake reported, " _Four Elites and one Ethereal_."

Zhang hummed, "Not so bad. We should try drawing them out into a kill zone. The Elites will likely fall for it at any rate, leaving us with just the psyker to deal with."

"I wonder if I can make his brain explode with a mind duel." Anette said, malice dripping off every word, "It'd be poetic justice, no?"

" _Easy there, Xavier_."

Two-Five laughed at Blake's comment, "You really have taken a shining to our comics, haven't you? Still, I think Six is right, Captain. We're probably better off fighting these things with bullets."

"Everyone, I want this outer room turned into a death trap. Get into positions to make that happen. When we are ready, Two will draw the Elites out for us, as she is equipped to resist both plasma fire and mental assault. Remember that the Mutons have improved body armor, so I want the marksmen to aim for headshots. HEAT personnel have the luxury of targeting center of mass. Four, I think now is a good time for a field test of Sergeant Schnee's 'special' ammunition. Let's move."

While the operatives broke for optimal firing positions, Zhang turned back to Ruby, "Before the plasma starts flying," he started in a low voice, "I want you to know that I have immense respect for what you have accomplished, especially considering how young you are. If you need to talk to somebody about the pressures of command or XCOM in general, I will be somewhat offended if you choose not to talk to me."

Ruby's eyes widened slightly before she nodded her affirmation, "Of course. Thank you, Colonel."

The two of them readied their weapons, and Zhang gave the signal for Anette to do her bait performance. The bridge design included a pair of holo doors facing each other by the back wall. On the Colonel's signal, Anette charged into the room through one door and ran straight through the other three seconds later. The echoes of stomping feet and fists beating on chest armor indicated that the Elites had become properly enraged at the operative's presence. The Medic, positioned on the wall separating the bridge from the kill zone, used his Bioelectric Skin to silently count down for Strike Two the seconds until the Elites burst through the door.

Blake's mine/scanner detonated as the first Elite crossed the threshold, blowing the door wide open and giving the Valkyrie a clear shot at the dazed alien. Two-Four's Particle Cannon immediately penetrated the alien's body armor, and a gout of flame exploded from the entry rupture while the alien fell to its knees in pain. Ruby's opening shot fractured the second Muton's helmet, allowing Two-Eight's three round burst to break through and vaporize its head. A pair of alien grenades preceded the last two Elites, forcing the XCOM operatives to take cover and allowing the aliens to run out guns blazing.

Blake swept in from behind, using her sword to slice off one Muton's arm at the elbow. The alien screamed in fury at the attack and turned to face Blake in time for a Kinetic Punch to the face. The force of Blake's tempered fist launched the Elite backward, slamming it into its partner and sending the pair tumbling to the floor. Zhang's squad easily dispatched the dazed and exposed pair in short order.

 _The New One arrives once more, eager for a chance at revenge on behalf of its fallen broodmate._

Ruby froze.

"Zhang…"

The Colonel looked down at her, "Lieutenant?"

"It's talking to me again."

 _We anticipated this possibility, and while the New One's kin demonstrated a fragile will, we welcome the opportunity to further assess this warrior's… competency._

Ruby's eyes narrowed in anger. Zhang noticed and put a hand on Ruby's shoulder, "Lieutenant…"

"I'm gonna kill it." Ruby said, voice barely above a whisper, "I swear to whatever god is listening, I'm gonna absolutely murder it."

 _The unique properties exhibited by the New One show great promise for its chances at ascension. The question remains, however: does it have enough control over its power?_

Ruby roared, tearing away from Zhang's hand and ripping Crescent Rose off of its armor-mounted mag lock. She slammed her fist down on her Aura Module, extended her scythe into its fully extended form, and raced onto the bridge in the blink of an eye. She felt the power of her Aura surging within her, and the rage-filled prospect of slicing the Ethereal into tiny ribbons only served to egg Ruby on further.

But then she saw everything. At, Ruby couldn't think of any better way to describe it. She experienced a rush of… _something_ flooding her brain, and she became aware of everything around her. The Ethereal's presence, the humming UFO power sources, the blinking navigational computers, the flickering lights on the bridge, the pounding of footsteps as Strike Eight vainly tried to catch up to her... even the radio waves as the UFO transmitted a distress signal to whoever was listening. She noticed everything, and the massive influx of information prevented Ruby from processing any of it.

The sensation left as quickly as it came but the split second of information overload provided enough of a distraction to cause Ruby to trip over a step and come to a skidding halt behind the Ethereal. She plowed full-force into the metal wall, and when she shook off the daze from the impact and looked up, she saw the Ethereal gazing impassively down at her.

 _Disappointing_. _Still, perhaps we can… assist._

It extended a single thin arm from beneath it's robes and aimed it at Ruby's face. Ruby watched the hand glow purple as it drew in psychic energy before it reached down and grabbed her face. Ruby cried out as the Ethereal lifted her off the ground and forced psychic energy through its outstretched hand and into her head. The incredible pain completely consumed Ruby's attention.

A flurry of plasma struck the Ethereal, forcing it to drop Ruby and slamming the alien against the nearby wall. With the Ethereal distracted, Ruby picked up Crescent Rose and buried its tip deep within the monster's chest. The Ethereal emitted a pained scream before bursting with a final surge of psychic energy and disintegrating into little more than dust.

"Lieutenant!" Zhang called out as he swiftly approached the front of the bridge, "Are you alright?"

Ruby carefully stood up, gingerly testing her face with her fingers to check for any damage, "I… think so. Something happened before I could attack, though. Like, I became super-aware of everything and everyone here. It only lasted for a second, but I don't know what caused it. And then whatever the Ethereal did to me, it doesn't hurt anymore."

Zhang turned to Anette, "Captain?"

Anette nodded, "There is definitely psychic energy, but it feels different." She furrowed her eyebrows, trying to come up with a more accurate descriptor, "Twisted."

The Colonel sighed, "We can worry about that later. For now, let's finish sweeping the craft before returning to base." He cast a glance at Ruby, "You and I need to have a conversation about the chain of command."

Ruby nodded, eyes looking anywhere but at Zhang.

* * *

"Ruby!" Nora cheered as her friend stepped off the Skyranger. The six members of Strike Eight assembled at the hangar to greet Ruby and Blake after their mission, all curious to hear how the battle played out. Jaune observed a team of base personnel walking onto the transport even as the operatives of Strike Two walked out. RWBY and JNPR saw Ruby walking with Zhang at the front of the group, the pair deep in conversation with each other. While Nora happily called out to their friend, Jaune noticed a troubled look on Ruby's face.

Upon hearing Nora's exclamation, Ruby looked up, smiled, and waved. Zhang patted her head and walked off, leaving the young huntress to walk over and greet her team. Blake nodded at the group as she stepped off the Skyranger, but continued walking towards the Armory so that she could switch to her 'civilian' prosthetics. Ruby approached the group, a forced smile on her face, "Hey guys, what's up?"

"How was the operation?" Pyrrha asked carefully. Jaune felt relieved that he wasn't the only one who noticed Ruby's unhappy demeanor.

Ruby shrugged, "We killed aliens, grabbed some sort of artifact, and came back. Pretty standard mission, I guess."

"Oh come on," Weiss remarked, "You were _totally_ raring to kick some alien butt when you flew out. You could give us a better description than that."

Nora waved her off, "Don't listen to the mean ol' Ice Queen, Ruby. If you don't want to talk about it, why don't we play some games in the lounge?"

"Eh, not tonight, Nora. I should check on Yang, actually. See how she's doing and all that."

"Ruby." The young Lieutenant in question looked up at her partner. Weiss, displeased with Ruby's behavior, stood with her hands on her hips and a frown on her face as she stared intently at the younger huntress, "What happened on the mission?"

Ruby let out a nervous laugh, "What are you talking about? The mission went fine. Like I said, we killed some aliens, found this-"

Weiss's eyes narrowed dangerously, "Ruby."

Jaune's heart sank as he watched his friend drop her happy act and become completely crestfallen. Her shoulders slumped and she stared at the floor, leaving the group in uncomfortable silence before Ruby answered Weiss, "I… don't really know. There was another one of those stupid Ethereals, and he got into my head again. When I activated my Aura and used my Semblance to kill him, I…" She hesitated before barely whispering, "I think something is wrong with my Aura."

Silence once again reigned over the group until Ruby expanded on her gloomy statement, "It worked fine for a second, but then information just flooded my mind. I heard _everything_ in the room, and felt like I could see everything too. I don't know why, and I don't know how, but it was scary." She rubbed her arm nervously and cast a sidelong glance at Zhang, who was busy talking to Bradford by the doors leading out of the hangar, "The Ethereal probably would've killed me if the team showed up a second later."

For the first time, Ren spoke up, "Why don't you come with me to see Dr. Vahlen? She's already working on Yang's condition, I don't think she'd mind having a look at you as well."

Ruby nodded, her posture still broken and defeated. Weiss made to follow them, but Pyrrha grabbed her by the wrist and shook her head, which the heiress returned with a glare.

"I don't think she needs us to accompany her." Pyrrha explained in a low voice, "Maybe after she's had a talk with Vahlen, but she probably doesn't want to talk to any of her friends right now."

Jaune could tell that Weiss wanted to yell at Pyrrha and tell her how wrong she was, but she just sighed instead, "Yeah, okay." She tapped Nora on the shoulder, "Hey, you still up for games in the lounge? I could use something to keep my mind off of all this for now."

Nora gave Weiss a comforting smile, "Sure thing! There's a couple of really cool board games I've seen the guys play around here, so I'm sure we can find something you'll like. We can even have Pyrrha join us!"

Jaune knew that his partner didn't have much interest in playing board games, but also wanted to be supportive for Weiss. After a moment to ponder the offer, Pyrrha nodded, "I wouldn't mind a little entertainment myself." She turned to Jaune with a questioning look, "What about you?"

The young Arc held his hand up in polite decline, "No thanks. I've got some errands that I need to run. You guys have fun without me."

Nora shrugged before turning and leaving the hangar with Pyrrha and Weiss in tow. Jaune watched them go before heading out himself. As the girls headed for the lounge, he followed the path Ruby and Ren took to the other end of the base.

* * *

Dr. Vahlen heaved a sigh before closing the door behind her. Now that Ruby was finally asleep, she could head to the lab and run some analysis on the data she collected with Ren's help. The implications of Ruby's problem weighed heavily on her mind. Based on what happened first to Yang and now to Ruby, it appeared that the Remnant hunters had an innate weakness to psionics. For whatever reason, something in their physiology reacted poorly to psychic input, and Vahlen didn't know what that could be. No, that was false. She suspected a link existed between the symptoms and their Aura, but Vahlen hadn't the faintest idea how she would go about solving this problem.

She rubbed her temples before turning to leave the medbay, worry slowly creeping into her chest. As much as she hated to admit it, a great deal seemed to ride on the success of RWBY and JNPR. While she had confidence in the abilities of the rest of XCOM, the hit to morale would be considerable if word got out that the huntresses had a weakness as crippling as vulnerability to mental attacks. Honestly, it shocked Vahlen that this revelation didn't come sooner, considering how trigger-happy Sectoids were with their psychic abilities. For whatever reason, the adverse effects seemed to only be manifesting now.

The doctor jumped in surprise when she noticed the figure of Specialist Arc leaning against the doorway.

"Oh! You gave me a bit of a shock. How may I help you, Lance Corporal Arc?"

"Ruby's problem has something to do with her Aura, doesn't it?"

Vahlen hesitated, unsure of where Jaune planned to go with this, "It's… possible. Ren helped me run some tests, and his initial impressions indicate that your assumption is likely correct."

"And you don't really know that much about Aura yet, right?"

The pieces started falling into place for Vahlen, though she hoped her gut was wrong, "… Correct. We know that it's a force of will similar to psionics, but we haven't managed to gather any meaningful data beyond that. The methods required for further research would be… extremely immoral. Borderline torture, if we're being honest about it."

Jaune nodded, as if he expected this answer. Vahlen wouldn't be surprised if he did: surely Ruby told her friends about why Aura wasn't working, and that conversation probably touched on Vahlen's first (and last) real effort to learn more. The hunter looked Vahlen square in the eye, and the doctor _really_ didn't like the small gleam of determination in his expression.

"You were on your way to your lab, right? Why don't I go with you. I think we're going to be spending a lot of quality time together."

"For how long?" She asked, knowing full well what the answer would be.

"For as long as it takes."


	23. Mind Fray

Weiss sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose while she waited with Ruby for the rest of their friends to arrive, "I can't believe we didn't think of doing this sooner. I mean really, why did we contact Jaune instead of Ozpin the moment we had the capability to do so?"

"Umm, maybe it's because we were afraid of getting in trouble with the headmaster?" Ruby offered, though her voice lacked any confidence in her answer, "I don't really know. It does seem pretty silly in hindsight, doesn't it?"

Bradford laughed, "A bit. However, don't forget that you've been surrounded by so-called 'professionals' for the last few months. I can't remain entirely blameless, considering that I was made fully aware of this Ozpin's importance when I briefed you after we first met."

"Well we're doing it now, and that's what matters." Ruby looked around in annoyance, "Seriously, though, where is everybody else? Vahlen said I shouldn't be up for more than an hour, and it's already been fifteen minutes."

"WE'RE HERE!" Nora came charging through the door into the Hyperwave facility, happily skidding to a halt in front of Ruby with her hands on her hips. "You missed the pancakes, Ruby."

The rest of their friends ran in after Nora, looking far more out of breath than the cheerful Engineer.

"Sorry about that." Jaune panted, "There was an… incident in the mess hall."

Bradford raised an eyebrow, "An incident?"

Pyrrha nodded, "Somebody challenged Nora to a pancake eating contest. It… didn't end well."

The Central Officer buried his face in his hands, "It was Combo, wasn't it?"

"Tech Sergeant David Zanakos, yes." Pyrrha confirmed.

Bradford heaved a sigh before looking over at Nora, "Did you win?"

"Does a Beowolf poop in the woods?"

Weiss rolled her eyes and changed the subject, "Now that you're all here, can we get on with the reason why we decided to meet in the first place?"

After agreement from the rest of Strike Eight, Bradford booted the tunneling sequence Vahlen devised to allow communication between Earth and Remnant. After the doctor's hardware confirmed a stable link, Ruby synced her Scroll with the terminal and sent her first message to Beacon's headmaster.

 _Professor Ozpin? It's Ruby Rose._

The rest of the group in the Hyperwave facility saw the message projected on an enlarged holo-screen above Ruby's computer. After a minute of silence, Bradford could see a feeling of restlessness spreading among the hunters. He realized that, except for Ruby, none of them had experience with transmissions between the two worlds from XCOM's end.

"Remember," He reminded them, "From Ozpin's perspective, it's only been five seconds, and that's assuming an instantaneous transmission between us and him. Communication will be a bit… slow."

After another minute of waiting, a return message blinked into existence on the holographic display.

 _Hello Ruby._

The hunters stood in silence, unsure of what sort of response that opening warranted.

"Uhh… do we just say 'hi, how're you doing?' "

"Yang, I don't think-"

 _Hi professor! How are you doing?_

Weiss groaned, "Ruby, why do you encourage this?"

"Well, nobody else was offering suggestions!"

 _I'm doing well, all things considered. Thank you for asking._

"Maybe we should be a little more proactive in giving him a status report?" Pyrrha offered, "I don't think he's going to come out and ask for it."

 _Just wanted to let you know that I'm here with the rest of my team and JNPR. Jaune's team has been super helpful in making sure we're all okay. He's a really good leader._

"D'ohhh, stop it! I haven't done any leading around here, anyway, so…"

Ruby raised an eyebrow, "Our encounter with the Ethereal says otherwise. Besides, what's wrong with complimenting my friends?"

"It goes to their heads." Weiss deadpanned.

Jaune slumped his shoulders in defeat, "Fine, say what you will."

 _That's good to hear. Is Miss Valkyrie behaving herself?_

"Hey!"

"Hah," Yang laughed, "Boss man's got your number, kiddo. Don't worry, though, you've been doing pretty good so far. 'Xcept for the whole pancake episode this morning."

Nora sniffed indignantly, "It's not my fault you don't appreciate Remnant's greatest discovery."

"Wouldn't that be Dust, Nora?" Weiss asked with mild amusement.

"Nah, that's the second-greatest."

"I feel like I should point out that we've had pancakes on Earth long before you arrived."

"Oh look at that!" Nora said, pointing to the screen, "Ruby wrote a response!"

 _Yes she is. So is everyone else, actually._

 _Wonderful. How soon can I expect you back at Beacon?_

 _We don't really know. On the bright side, there's some really weird time stuff going on that means twelve days here is the same as one day on Remnant._

 _Ah, that would explain why your response time to my messages is so fast._

"You know…" Blake mused, "I'm surprised Jaune didn't pick up on that when he was first texting with Ruby, and then again with Bradford."

"Well excuse me for having bigger things to worry about." Jaune protested, "Like, I dunno, getting a message from a friend who'd been missing for six days!"

"He's got a point." Ren added.

"Thanks, Ren. I knew you were just like a brother to me."

 _I don't know what Jaune told you, but we're not on Remnant. The portal took us to a planet called Earth, and there's a global war taking place. Until it's resolved, we can't return._

 _I see. Am I to also assume that XCOM needs to emerge victorious in order for you to come back to Remnant?_

 _Yes, sir._

 _Should I dispatch a team of fully-fledged hunters to join you? From the looks of it, your XCOM is at least capable of one-way transportation._

 _You probably have enough problems of your own with the increasing violence with the White Fang and whatever group Torchwick is working for. I'd rather you have all your teams available to help back home than receiving one here. Besides, we don't really have access to Aura at the moment, so they'd be a lot less powerful than you're thinking._

The gap between Ruby's last message and Ozpin's response was considerably longer than before. Bradford could practically feel the tension in the room while the student's waited with agonizing anticipation for Ozpin's reaction to Ruby's last bit of information.

 _No Aura? That sounds very dangerous._

 _We're managing so far, and regaining our Aura is a work in progress thing._

 _Have there been any serious injuries?_

Yang whistled, "Awwwwwwkwaaaaaaard."

 _A few._

 _Any deaths?_

 _No._

 _Then I suppose I'll just have to wait until you return to assess the damage. Is that all, Miss Rose?_

 _I think so!_

 _Very well. Please, do not hesitate to update me in the future if you feel the need. I will always do my best to answer immediately. Be careful out there, and remember that you have a team to back you up._

 _Of course, sir. I wouldn't have made it this far without them._

 _Good luck._

Weiss spoke first after Bradford shut down the Hyperwave comm link to Remnant, "Well, that went better than expected."

"I've never seen the headmaster shaken by any sort of news since we've been at Beacon." Blake observed, "I actually wouldn't be surprised if he's dealt with dimensional-hopping students in the past."

Bradford nodded in agreement, "Your Ozpin sounds pretty unflappable, even when you admitted to your injuries. Whatever problems you have on Remnant, I'd be very surprised if he didn't already have them well in hand." He looked around at the members of RWBY and JNPR, "Alright, I think that concludes our business here at the relay. Miss Rose should probably return to the medbay, and I'm sure that the rest of you have important business to attend to. Like helping with the cleanup of the 2016 Pancake Apocalypse."

Nora grumbled incoherently as she dragged Ren out the door with her.

* * *

"Jaune?"

"Mmph."

"Jaune…"

The hunter in question groaned, successfully roused only because he knew all too well how persistent Pyrrha could be when she felt he'd slept in for long enough. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and stared at his partner with a blank look, "What's up, Pyr?"

"Well, it's almost eight-thirty. I assume that Colonel Zhang wouldn't be too happy if you showed up late for your nine o'clock training…"

Pyrrha giggled at Jaune's instantaneous reaction. She watched from her bed as he launched to his feet, wearing nothing but his boxers and bunny slippers, before rushing to put on his workout uniform. Jaune almost crashed into his audience of one while hopping around on one foot in his efforts to quickly throw on his pants. He spit out a quick "Sorry!" to Pyrrha before dashing off to the washroom at the back of the barracks. Pyrrha closed her eyes and focused on the sounds of Jaune trying to rapidly brush his teeth and wet his hair at the same time.

While her partner continued his frantic morning routine, Pyrrha busied herself with setting out a small continental breakfast on his bed that she brought back from the mess hall. She hoped some toast and sliced fruit would provide him with enough energy to survive Zhang's drills, since she didn't want to risk giving him more and cause him to throw up in the middle of training. She rolled her eyes, recalling that she'd witnessed that more than once during her own late-night drills with her partner.

A minute later, Jaune flew back into the room and resumed pulling equipment out from his footlocker.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha asked for the second time in five minutes.

Without even looking up from his locker, Jaune replied, "Hmm?"

"If you don't slow down, you'll be worn out before your training even begins. You still have twenty-three, so I think you can breathe a little."

He stopped digging through his locker and looked up at Pyrrha, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Managed to get all the important stuff done, so I can take some time now, I guess."

Pyrrha held up a piece of toast, "You got _most_ of the important stuff done." She gently shoved the food into his mouth, "Eat."

Jaune sighed through his full mouth before chomping down on the toast and grabbing it with a free hand. He swallowed the first bite and managed a smile, "Thanks Pyrrha. Really. I don't know where I'd be without you."

"Knee-deep in trouble with Zhang?" Pyrrha teased.

"Hah, more like neck-deep. That guy is seriously obsessed with respect, honor, and all that jazz" He took another bite out of his food while Pyrrha produced a small thermos. The moment she uncapped it, Jaune caught a whiff of the unmistakable scent of Jasmine tea.

"Does Shen have a monopoly on the tea imported to XCOM base?" He asked, though he took the thermos anyway, washing down the toast with a mouthful of the warm liquid.

Pyrrha shook her head, "No, but he does have good tastes. After all, he managed to get Blake hooked on the stuff, didn't he?"

"Yeah, good point." Jaune admitted. Having finished his toast, he got to work eating the fruit Pyrrha brought to accompany the main 'course.'

"You know, I'm actually surprised I had to wake you up this morning." Pyrrha commented, shifting subjects, "Usually you're really good about being an early riser, but you were out cold when I checked on you after my morning workout. How late did you stay up last night?"

Jaune gave a nonchalant shrug before taking another bite of his apple, "A little later than usual, but not much."

Pyrrha, evidently unimpressed with his response, leaned in to inspect his face. Jaune, though somewhat uncomfortable with the sudden scrutiny, continued to munch on his apple. After several seconds of careful study, Pyrrha gave a small huff and sat back down on the bed. Jaune noticed her eyes were narrowed, as if she made an unpleasant discovery during her examination.

"Your eyelids are really puffy," She started, her tone one of mild accusation, "and your sclera look bloodshot. Furthermore, considering how strict Colonel Zhang is with your training, I'm also surprised to see your slumped posture. Jaune, what were you doing?"

For a fraction of a second, guilt flashed across Jaune's face before he managed to mask it with confusion, "Uhhh are you sure you're not just seeing things, Pyrrha? I was doing my usual stuff at the range." He shrugged again, "I guess I pushed myself a little harder than usual, that's all."

Pyrrha gave Jaune a hard look before finally sighing, "You know if you want someone to keep you company while you practice, Jaune, all you need to do is ask. I wouldn't mind staying up late to help you improve your skills and give you someone other than the targets to talk to."

"Hey," Jaune said defensively, "I don't talk to my targets."

"That's not the point," Pyrrha continued, mildly annoyed that Jaune continued to dodge her question, "The point is that I'm here to help. I know that you probably feel like this is something you need to do on your own, but I want you to know that you don't have to. I'm very proud to have you as my partner, Jaune, and I can count on one hand the things I wouldn't do to help you."

Jaune raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Because I can already think of at least six." He started counting on his fingers, "Tummy rubs if I'm feeling sick, washing my back after a hard workout, a nice massage after a workout-" He laughed while dodging the orange thrown at him and ran out of the barracks with a Pyrrha, cheeks flushed, hot on his tail. She easily picked up on the fact that his teasing allowed him to sidestep her offer, but she decided to let it go for now. Still, their conversation didn't quite do as much to set Pyrrha's mind at ease as she hoped.

* * *

The first thing Ruby noticed when she woke up in the medbay was Weiss's sleeping figure in the chair next to her bedside table. She picked up a roll off the breakfast tray left for her and tossed it at her partner, smiling as the impact produced an immediate reaction.

"BWUH, WHO'S THERE?" Weiss leapt to her feet, her hands balled into fists and her arms up in a guarding position. Her form impressed Ruby, and the young Lieutenant noted that Weiss seemed to be taking Yang's hand-to-hand combat lessons seriously. Not that this news entirely surprised Ruby: Weiss always gave one hundred percent to any activity once she set her mind to it. Something about 'representing the Schnee family name,' Ruby recalled her friend saying.

"Weiss, you know you don't need to sleep all night in that uncomfortable chair just because Vahlen's ordered me to remain here, right?"

After situational awareness finally graced Weiss's senses, she looked over at Ruby and scowled, "And _you_ know that there are better ways of waking up your combat-trained partner than throwing food at her face, right?" She rolled her eyes, "Honestly Ruby, you'd think that Officer Training School of yours would at least mention PTSD."

Ruby grinned, "Oh, quit whining. You're neither traumatized nor stressed. You're just upset that you got scared by a little piece of bread."

"Well, if you're done playing 'let's tease Weiss-' "

"If I don't, then who will?"

"Literally everybody?" Weiss's expression became serious, "But that's not why I slept here all night. How are you doing?"

Ruby wanted to make a funny comment or give a noncommittal answer, but she knew that Weiss wouldn't appreciate it. Not only that, but her partner _did_ have a point about spending the entire night sleeping next to her bed. If that didn't deserve a straight answer, Ruby didn't know what did.

"Not great, actually. It's mostly me being grumpy and embarrassed that I'm stuck in this situation, but I get occasional bouts of pain."

"Like the first time?"

Ruby nodded in agreement, "Like the first time, but it's not just for a second anymore. I think the worst one lasted for a minute… not fun, let me tell you." She fell back into her pillow and stared at the ceiling, "On the bright side, I'm starting to get used to the whole 'see all and hear all' that comes with the pain. I guess the longer bouts of pain have some benefit after all. I can't make much sense out of all the information, but at least it doesn't add to the pain and confusion. Who knows? Maybe after Vahlen figures out what's wrong and gets this all sorted out, I'll be some sort of Aura-wielding psionic super soldier."

Weiss snorted, "I swear, if your idiocy and impulsive actions end up working to your benefit _again_ , I'm going to drag you to the live fire hall and beat you black and blue. Your luck is absolutely unfair, Ruby Rose."

"Well you _would_ , except I'd be an Aura-wielding psionic super soldier, remember?" The smile faltered on her face, "In all seriousness, it's been two days, and I don't think Vahlen's any closer to finding a solution, much less figuring out what's wrong with me in the first place. I'm a little worried, Weiss. We don't know what that dumb alien did to my head. What if it's really bad, and takes forever for me to get better? What if I never get better?"

Ruby watched her partner get up from the chair, seat herself at the edge of the bed, and set about breaking the food on Ruby's tray into bite-sized portions.

"Well, then I guess I better get comfortable in this chair of mine, because I'm not sleeping in the barracks until you're able to return with me."

"Weiss…?"

The heiress set the tray in front of Ruby before handing her a fork. "When we first met, I thought you were this young, stupid klutz of a girl who had no business enrolling at Beacon. Then, when you became our team's leader, I thought you were this lucky little brat that had everything happen to go her way because some higher power thought she deserved it."

Ruby pouted, "I don't know what you're trying to do here, but I don't think it's working."

"Shut up, and eat your breakfast. I'm not finished talking." She cast a quick glare at Ruby before clearing her throat and continuing, "In general, I couldn't figure out what Ozpin saw in you, or why anyone would think you warranted all the good fortune you got. But after spending the last three months here under your leadership…"

Her eyes softened, and her lips curved into a small smile, "Well, I've come to realize that I was wrong. Every single op, you step up to your role as squad leader and do everything you can to prove that you belong there. You are optimistic, you are professional, but most of all, you are compassionate. After seeing what you are capable of as a leader and a huntress, I don't think I could be any more proud to have you as a partner."

She looked up at Ruby, only to see tears welling up in her friend's eyes, "Weiss… hearing that from you means more than you can imagine." She whispered.

"Glad to hear it. So before you devolve into a blubbering mess, and likely end up dragging me with you, let me finish by saying one more thing: as your partner, it's both my pleasure and honor to help support you in your time of need. Because after spending months of striving to be a leader that we can all look up to, I'd say you deserve some time to just catch your breath. You've been 'on' for the last three months. I think you can afford to take some time off to recover and get your head set straight."

Ruby wiped her face with one hand and smiled brightly at her best friend, "I'm glad I found you first in the forest."

Weiss rose from the bed, stole a piece of bread off of Ruby's plate and ruffled her partner's hair. "I'm glad you found me too. Now chin up, and have some faith in Vahlen. She'll get this fixed, alright?"

Ruby nodded, "Yeah, alright. In the meantime, can you do me a favor and sneak some hardware up to me from Engineering? It gets kinda dull laying here for hours with nothing to do."

Weiss gave her partner a mock salute, "I'll see what I can get away with."

* * *

"Alright team, listen up!"

Weiss paced in front of her six squadmates, hands behind her back and her chin jutted out, "Ruby has asked that, in her absence, I run the rest of us through a few training exercises. Ideally, they will help us learn to better support one another with the unique skills we each bring to the field of battle, and so I expect all of you to put forward your best effort."

She stopped pacing and turned to face her friends, heels clicked together and her body rigid. Yang thought she was taking this whole 'second in command' thing a little too seriously.

"As luck would have it, each hunter pairing already possesses a good deal of synergy, and so we will begin by having you learn to play to each other's strengths." She held an arm out to gesture at the two MEC soldiers, "An example for our newer recruits. Operatives Belladonna and Xiao Long, our heavy weapon specialists, make a great tag team: the former locates and marks high priority targets while the latter follows up by saturating the target area with an explosive payload. As for the rest of you…"

Weiss turned to face Jaune and Pyrrha, the former snapping to stiff attention under the Sergeant's sudden scrutiny, "Gunners and Infantry provide crucial fire support to the squad, with the Gunner's incredible volume output and the Infantry's hard-hitting precision rounds. The sooner you learn to work in tandem with each other to lock down an alien squad and whittle it away one target at a time, the better." She flashed a rare smile at Jaune, "Ruby has made me aware of how much time you invest at the range. I'm confident that you'll make us proud."

"Team Sloth!" Weiss shouted, her previous smile lingering at the sight of Nora's salute, "You are the fixers of our merry band. A bandolier of grenades fit for any situation means that if there's a problem, we'll very likely rely on you to solve it. Learn to recognize when an event warrants a use from your valuable supply and when a well-placed shot between the eyes is enough to get the job done."

Weiss paused to take a deep breath and let her words sink in for JNPR. She knew that Blake and Yang already had experience cooperating with each other, so this was mostly extra practice for them. For the others, though, Ruby wanted to make sure they knew how to work well with each other, and Weiss promised to make that happen while her partner recovered.

"Are we all ready?"

Yang pulled her helmet off and held up a robotic hand, "Just one moment. Gotta channel my inner Archer here to make sure my Bella-bombardment hits perfectly."

Weiss rolled her eyes as she watched Yang drop to one knee, "Oh _please_ Yang, do we have to do this now?"

Yang ignored her, took a deep breath, and began, "I am the bone of my sword…"

"Yang, knock it off. We've got serious work to do."

Yang hesitated, gritted her teeth, and continued, "Steel is my body, and fire is my blood…"

"Yang!"

Blake noticed Yang's eyebrow twitch and inwardly sighed. This couldn't possibly end well, especially since Yang took her chants so seriously, "I have created over a thousand 'nades, unaware of loss, nor aware of gain…"

"That is _enough_ Yang."

That was the final straw for Yang, who stood up and glared daggers at Weiss while shouting, "What the hell is your problem? You couldn't just wait another fucking minute for me to finish? It in no way affects you, so what reason could you _possibly_ have to interrupt something that I _clearly_ find valuable to my performance?!"

Yang's outburst caught Weiss completely off-guard, and she stumbled through a response. Evidently, she didn't expect Yang to lash out at her, "I… well…"

"Exactly!" Yang exploded, fire in her eyes, "Your reason is just 'I'm a stuck up bitch, and I enjoy bossing people around.' For whatever reason, you can't stand the idea of me doing something that you have deemed silly. And why is that? Because I have something that you don't? Because I waste a few precious seconds of your day? Or is it because you're on a power trip and think that just because my sister gave you permission to run the show, you automatically deserve to be handing out orders willy-nilly?"

At this point, Weiss's face had become beet red, and she looked down at the ground in embarrassment. Blake realized she had to do something, and fast. Yang looked ready to blast Weiss for another ten minutes, and if this persisted, Blake didn't know what the fallout would look like.

"You're not the one who watched her partner get impaled and almost killed! You're not the one who almost got killed by a giant fucking mind vortex! And you're _certainly_ not-"

A punch from Blake's fist, unassisted by the rocket module, sent Yang stumbling, eliciting a yelp from Weiss as she leapt out of the way. When Yang recovered, and a look of shock spread across her face, Blake punched her again, sending the MEC trooper skidding across the floor. Blake turned to the completely stunned Team JNPR and gave them an apologetic smile, "It seems I have a few things to sort out with my partner. Why don't you start working with Weiss while I get Yang's head screwed on straight?"

She turned to face Yang again, a deadly glare etched across her features, "You. With me."

Blake didn't even wait for Yang to get up and follow her. Against her partner's protests, she wrapped a mechanized hand around the grab bar on Yang's back and dragged her across the live fire hall.

"Blake, cut this shit out! I'm not done with Weiss yet!"

"No, you are done with Weiss." Blake responded in an icy tone, "Now you get to deal with me."

Despite Yang's protests, she couldn't get a solid foothold to stand up and tear herself away from Blake's grasp. She resigned herself to the fate of waiting for Blake to finish carrying her off to wherever she had in mind for their little heart-to-heart. A minute later, Blake reached their destination and threw Yang to the floor several yards ahead of her.

"Get up."

Yang started to pick herself up, only to feel a motorized fist slam into her back and launch her into the wall. Stunned, she turned around to see Blake with her fists at the ready and the drifter jets on her boots warmed up. She cocked an eyebrow at Yang, "Well, are you going to fight me or not?"

Yang blinked in confusion, "Blake, I'm not mad at you, I'm pissed at-"

In the blink of an eye, Blake shadowstepped forward and shoulder checked Yang into the wall before using her jets to dance back to safety once more. "Don't care. You're fighting me now."

"Alright, fine!" Yang yelled in frustration. She still didn't know why Blake was acting this way, but she sure as hell didn't want to get rag-dolled all day by her, either. She raised her fists and charged at Blake, boots stomping heavily as they fell. She wound up one arm and brought it crashing down on Blake. When she expected to feel her fist impact against alloyed steel, however, she only felt air.

"Too slow." Blake taunted, sending a jab into Yang's side.

"What the hell, Blake!"

"Why are you so wound up? You know Weiss gets grumpy, so what's the point of chewing her out for it?"

Yang gritted her teeth and took another swing at Blake. Whether her friend purposely let the hit connect or she actually failed to dodge, Yang didn't know, "Because someone needs to remind her from time to time about how bitchy she acts."

"Wrong." Blake answered, backpedaling to avoid Yang's follow-up punch, "There is a time for privately telling someone about their behavior, certainly. But in front of our friends is not the time and absolutely not the place." She ran at her partner, ducked under Yang's left hook, and brought a fist up into her gut.

Yang scoffed, "You don't honestly believe that would get through to her, do you? She's got her head so far up her own ass, she has no idea how prissy she acts!"

"Then it's our job to make sure it gets through to her." Blake countered, throwing another punch, "And to do so at an appropriate time. Do you think your sister would appreciate your treatment of her partner?"

Blake's defenses slipped, and Yang managed to step on her foot to pin her in place and follow up with an elbow to the chest, "My sister is in the infirmary, unsure about whether she'll ever be the same again, and Weiss drags us all here to play out some stupid fantasy as a drill sergeant!"

She threw a hard punch at Blake's stomach, sending her armored foe skidding. Blake recovered with a roll and looked up at Yang, face impassive, "Felt good, didn't it? Do that again."

Yang yelled in frustration and ran at Blake, throwing a second punch. To her surprise, Blake didn't step out of the way and ate the strike instead. Yang rolled her eyes and yanked her partner back to her feet before shouting at her face, "What's this all about, Blake? What are you trying to do?"

"You're upset."

"No shit!"

"Why?"

"Because Weiss is a stuck-up prick!"

Blake shook her head, "Try again. _Why?_ "

"Because Weiss has no sense of the magnitude of the situation!"

"Wrong again!" Blake roared, " _WHY?!_ "

"Because I'm scared for my little sister!" Yang screamed back at her, "Because I'm the reason we're all here, and because the longer we're stuck here, the closer we come to getting a plasma bolt to the face!"

She shoved Blake away, "Three months ago, we were fighting little gray assholes equipped with peashooters. Now, we're dealing with super-psychic _bullshit_ that's making me carry around this stupid implant and left Ruby in the medbay for six days straight!" Tears began to streak down her face as she pressed on, "How could I possibly ever look our father in the eye again if I had to tell him I got my little sister killed?"

"She knew that death was a possibility the moment she enrolled at Signal."

"No she didn't!" Yang shouted angrily, "She was trying to live a little childhood fantasy! To be the hero that saves people from the Big Bad Grimm! She had _no_ concept of how dangerous this line of work is!"

"And you?" Blake asked, "You always act so cheerful and gung-ho. Do you realize how dangerous the situation is?"

Yang spat, "Of course I do. It's a fucking mask, Blake. A facade to keep the people around me from worrying. I'm absolutely _terrified_ , but what good does it do to show that if we're stuck here anyway?"

She slid down the concrete wall until she was seated, her titanium alloy hands covering her face. Silent as always, Blake sat down next to her. For a full minute, neither said a word to the other. Blake half expected to hear wracked sobs from her partner, but Yang didn't make a single sound. Though Blake seemed content to wait for as long as necessary, Yang lacked the same kind of patience and finally broke their mutual silence.

"I really screwed up when I ran through that portal, didn't I?"

"Mmm." Blake answered, "And yet we're doing our best to make the most of it. Not only have we gained four months worth of extremely practical combat experience over the course of roughly eight Remnant days, but we have forged allies out of the people here at XCOM. While I certainly don't expect them to fight our war against the Grimm for us, I suspect they'll be willing to help in at least some small capacity."

Silence briefly reigned once more before Yang sighed, "I'm sorry for blowing up back there."

"I don't blame you. It's obvious that this last week has taken a particularly heavy toll on your psyche." She gave Yang a light punch on the shoulder, "I roughed you up for two reasons: one, because I know violence is one of the better ways to get through to you whether you're angry or not; and two, because I know it helps you relieve whatever has you all worked up."

Yang closed her eyes and leaned back onto Blake's shoulder, "You're alright, Blake. You know that?"

Blake laughed quietly, "You may recall a certain huntress that talked me down when I was pushing myself past the point of exhaustion trying to handle Torchwick's White Fang all by myself. You may also recall a certain huntress that underwent MEC surgery for no reason other than the fact that she didn't want me to be the only one to lose her limbs. We're partners, Yang. You've told me what that means to you, so now it's time for you to know what that means for me. Come on."

Blake pushed Yang off of her shoulder and stood up, offering a hand to help her partner do the same, "Let Weiss run her little drills with JNPR like Ruby wanted. In the meantime, you and I will be de-suiting and heading down to the Fission Generators where I'm going to teach you how to meditate."

Yang groaned, "So this is your definition of 'we're partners,' I take it?"

She sounded ungrateful, but the smile on her face told Blake how Yang really felt about the offer.

* * *

"Got any twos?"

"No, go fish. Got any fours? Hey Ren?"

Ren pulled two cards out of his hand and passed them to his partner, "Here you go. Yes Nora?"

Nora took the fours and laid them out in front of her with the others in her hand, "Have you noticed our friends acting strange?"

"They're feeling stressed, I think. Got any jacks?"

The huntress shook her head, "No, go fish. Why do you think they're so stressed? Got any nines?"

"No, go fish. I think they've been through a lot during their time here. Got any threes?"

"No, go fish." Nora frowned, "Been through a lot? Like what? We've been kicking butt the whole time we've been here." She looked at her cards before asking, "Got any threes?"

Ren handed Nora his three in amusement, "Don't forget that they spent three months on their own before we got here. There's also the Ethereal problem. Got any Kings?"

To his surprise, she handed him three cards. Nora watched him put the four-of-a-kind in front of him before she commented, "I've never seen Yang get that angry, though. Weiss didn't seem as into the whole training thing afterward. Bummer, since I was excited about training with you. Got any fives?"

Ren passed two of his cards to Nora, "We can still train together, you know. We don't need Weiss. Got any aces?"

"No, go fish. Hey Ren?"

"Yes Nora?"

"Do you think they'll be okay?"

Ren pondered the question, then put down his cards to focus his attention entirely on his partner, "I do. For several reasons."

Her childhood friend's vote of confidence was enough to put the beginnings of a smile on Nora's face, "Like what?" Before he could answer, she added, "Got any Sevens?"

Ren picked up his cards again and examined them closely. He sighed and passed a card to Nora before answering, "They're very determined and strong-willed individuals. Not only that, but they've managed to survive here for four months already. Got any Queens?"

"No, go fish. But what if they've reached their limit? What if things got too hard now? Got any Queens?"

Of course she wouldn't give him her queens when he asked. Ren shook his head and handed the cards to Nora, who spread all four face cards in front of her. He checked his hand once more, "It's possible, but I doubt it. Don't forget that there's a lot of people here who really want our friends to succeed. The Central Officer in particular is… interesting. Got any nines?"

Nora let out a small 'aww' before handing Ren her cards and watching him make his own four-of-a-kind spread, "Bradford? What about him? Got any tens?"

"No, go fish. He reminds me of headmaster Ozpin. Quite a bit, actually. Not only do they have the same commanding presence, they both project a sense of calm confidence when I examine their Aura. Got any fives?"

"No, go fish." Ren knew she had three fives, but said nothing.

"Bradford has an Aura?" Nora asked, "Got any eights?"

"No, go fish. He doesn't in the traditional sense. However, I still get an impression off of him when I try to sense the soul's ki. It's very similar to Ozpin's."

Nora frowned, "Hmmm. You always confuse me with that ki stuff. I'll take your word for it, I suppose. Buuuuuuuuut I have one more question…"

"Yes?"

"Got any fives?"

Ren smiled, "You know it's my turn, don't you?"

"Yeah, but you took too long. I'm sure there's a rule somewhere about forfeiting your turn if you take too long."

With a sigh, Ren handed his card to Nora, "Was there an actual question as well?"

Nora immediately became more serious, which worried her partner, "It's not just RWBY that's acting differently. Have you noticed anything strange about Jaune and Pyrrha?"

Ah, so that was it. Ren gave Nora a pat on the head, "I have, but I'm sure they're okay. Pyrrha always just wants what's best for Jaune, and it frustrates her when he feels the need to do it on his own."

Nora still looked slightly dissatisfied after his explanation, "Oh, I guess that makes sense… Do you know what he's doing this time?"

"Not a clue, though it seems to really be bothering Pyrrha." He put down his cards and stood up to stretch his legs, "Hopefully he finishes it soon, or else we might have to deal with the consequences."

Nora hopped up and joined her partner, "Yeah. Jaune's pretty cool, but sometimes…" She punched her fist into her palm, "Sometimes he just needs good slug to the head, you know?"

"I… don't think that would work very well with Jaune. We just need to trust that he's doing the right thing."

"Aww, alright." Nora kneeled down and began picking up the cards, "Thanks for playing with me, Ren!"

Her partner smiled, "Of course, Nora. You're a lot better at this game than I am, it seems."

Nora looked down at the sizeable disparity between their respective matched cards and shrugged, "What can I say? I'm just a natural."


	24. Adrenaline Rush

Sweat dripped off Jaune's face and splashed silently on the floor. He and Vahlen started their nightly 'research sessions' a week ago, and the stress was finally starting to catch up to the fatigued hunter.

"Tell me we're making progress, doc."

He watched Vahlen tapped a button on her console before hearing her voice come through on the intercom, "We are, mister Arc. Probably a little too slow for your liking, but much faster than the meager progress I made on my own. Are you ready for more?"

Jaune shook his head, "No. I need another minute to catch my breath."

"You do realize that's counterproductive for our goals, don't you?" Vahlen asked, a hint of pity in her voice, "Resting will only give your body more time to return to a steady state."

"I know. I'll pay for it when we start up again, but I need a moment."

The doctor nodded and occupied herself with other work until Jaune deemed himself ready. The data they collected needed to be analyzed at some point, so she might as well briefly look it over for anything obvious while they waited. Her keyboard clicked as she tabbed through the lines of information won from Jaune's literal blood, sweat, and tears.

"I feel obligated to tell you this once more: we don't have to do this." Vahlen said as she worked.

"And so I will respond the same way once more: we do," Jaune countered, "Because until you get a better understanding of Aura, Ruby might not recover. Not only that, but we won't figure out why my friends are vulnerable to these Ethereals that have decided to join the fight. All this psionic stuff really raised the stakes, and it's making me truly worry for the first time since we got here." He looked up at Vahlen from within the interrogation chamber, a look of determination in his eye, "Somebody's gotta help you find answers, and it might as well be me. Let's get started."

Vahlen sighed, "Very well. All vital monitors are up and running. Beginning the simulation."

Jaune laughed to himself as the chamber's blinders closed and he became enveloped in darkness. What Vahlen called a simulation sure felt real for him. He waited, wondering what she would do this time to get his blood rushing. For obvious reasons, she couldn't discuss her plans with him beforehand. If she did, he would anticipate the technique and ruin the resultant adrenaline spike. She only promised him one thing: he'd be able to conceal the scars in order to keep their activities below board. While Jaune didn't relish the prospect of lying to his friends and superiors for a second time, he considered this situation to be far more important than something as silly as cheating his way into a hunter academy. Lives were on the line here, and he had the ability to protect them. He felt a jab in his neck and heard the tell-tale hiss of fluid injection hardware. He had no idea what Vahlen just pumped him with, but he assumed it wouldn't take long to find out.

Within seconds, he felt his blood catch fire, and he dropped to his hands and knees from the pain. His heart began to race, and his skin began to prickle. The searing flames, while fictional, still succeeded at restricting his airway and turning breathing into an arduous effort. Eventually, the pain became so great that Jaune could no longer support his own weight, and the suffering hunter collapsed to the floor. Shrouded in pain and darkness, Jaune clung to the only thought that had so far kept him sane throughout his time with Vahlen.

If he didn't suffer now, which of his friends would pay the price?

* * *

Pyrrha walked down the hallway towards XCOM's lounge. She came from the live fire facility, concerned when she didn't find Jaune there with Zhang. She came back to an empty bed after her workout this morning, so she knew he didn't oversleep and miss the scheduled start with his mentor, but Pyrrha could think of at least ten scenarios that might have resulted in Jaune not making it to the Armory in time. She knew that Zhang was not a patient man, and she felt worried that Jaune would suffer the Colonel's wrath for making him needlessly wait for a tardy (or worse, absent) student.

Scenario number one involved Jaune completely forgetting about practice, and so she set off for the lounge. Pyrrha prayed that she wouldn't find her partner there, but she already started formulating plans to help Jaune remain in Zhang's good graces should the worst come to pass. All of her worrying and planning came to an abrupt halt when she finally reached the lounge and looked inside.

There sat Jaune at a table, a small board before him with rows of black and red pieces on it, his face one of complete attention and concentration. Across from him, Pyrrha saw Zhang sitting back with a drink in his hand and… a smile on his face? Maybe Jaune _did_ show up to training late, and this meeting constituted his punishment. Slowly, carefully, Pyrrha approached the pair, though the Colonel noticed her presence long before she reached them.

"Good morning, Lance Corporal Nikos." He greeted with a respectful nod, "How may I help you?"

He sounded cheerful, which only served to confuse Pyrrha even more, "Umm… I was just looking for Jaune. I thought he'd be with you in the Armory, so when I couldn't find either of you…" She rubbed the back of her neck and laughed nervously.

"Ever the mother hen." Zhang said with a laugh, though Pyrrha did not share his light-hearted comparison. Neither did Jaune, apparently.

"Come on, Zhang, that wasn't nice. Pyrrha's helped me out in the past when I've screwed up something, so she was just trying to make sure I didn't pull a classic Jaune and sleep in or something."

Zhang glanced over at his student, "I understand, Jaune. Please get back to the game and let me know when you've found the correct path to victory." He returned his attention to Pyrrha, "Please do not misinterpret my comment, Miss Nikos. I have nothing but respect for you and your efforts to keep my student in line. The fact that you went to such great lengths to check on him speaks volumes of your character."

"Good volumes, I hope…" She muttered, still mildly annoyed with Zhang.

The Colonel nodded, "Indeed. Much as Jaune is learning right now, careful attention to details and possible problems is very important. While you may go a little too far in some cases, it is better to be overly attentive than overly apathetic."

"I found it!" Jaune exclaimed. Pyrrha and Zhang turned their attention to the board, where Jaune picked up a piece and moved it across the field. Zhang's smile told Pyrrha that her partner had, in fact, made the 'correct' move, and the Colonel proceeded to counter with a play of his own. Jaune seemed to expect this, because he responded almost immediately. The pair traded moves a few more times before Jaune triumphantly captured the most ornate piece on Zhang's side of the board.

"Very good," Zhang complimented, "It seems that your teammates did not overstate your aptitude as a tactician. If only the true battlefield was as simple as Chinese Chess, perhaps you would be as competent as me in the role of an officer. Still," He added upon seeing Jaune look slightly crestfallen, "The ability to assess a situation and determine the optimal plan of action is extremely important. You have done well in this lesson and have proven to me that I made the right choice in giving you a break from conditioning."

Pyrrha beamed at Jaune. After seeing her partner train endlessly under Zhang's critical eye for weeks, she felt a surge of pride upon hearing the compliment from Jaune's strict mentor. Perhaps it would help boost Jaune's confidence, since he seemed rather down and tired these days. An idea struck Pyrrha, and she decided to try and play off of the morale boost given by Zhang, "If you're all done here, would you like to join me at the shooting range? It'd be nice to spend some time training with you, since we don't really have the rooftop at Beacon anymore."

"Oh! Uh…" Jaune flashed an apologetic smile at Pyrrha, "Well, I think Zhang planned to run me through more of these chess challenges. Even though we're not training in the live fire course, I don't want to marginalize the work he's put into this lesson."

"Oh. I… see. Well, if you manage to finish early or something, you can find me at the range."

' _Alone.'_ She thought miserably. She turned to Zhang, who had remained facing Jaune. With a sigh, she added, "See you around, Colonel."

As Pyrrha left their table, Zhang continued to stare incredulously at the young man in front of him. When Jaune finally turned back from watching Pyrrha leave, he raised an eyebrow at his mentor's expression, "What? Did I say something stupid?"

"When a woman like that asks to spend time with you, _especially_ to train, you don't say no."

"But I'm still working with you right now…" He gestured to the board between them, "I'm honing my strategy skills, right?"

Zhang rolled his eyes, "We're playing chess. Miss Nikos wants to practice shooting a gun with you. While chess is certainly one way to gauge tactical aptitude, which form of practice do you think will be more beneficial when you're staring down the barrel of a Thin Man's Plasma Rifle?"

"… Shooting…" Jaune admitted.

"Smart man. So here's what you will do." He held out his hand and began counting on his fingers as he made a list, "First, you will say 'Thank you Colonel for your time, but I have more important business to take care of.' "

"Thank you Col-"

"I'm not done yet, Lance Corporal." Zhang interrupted, "Second, you will get up and make your way to the shooting range where you will meet up with operative Nikos. When she asks why you've suddenly changed your mind, you tell her that you realized your priorities were mixed up, and that you convinced me to let you train together. Finally, you will remain at the range with your partner until she gets bored of shooting targets, and not a minute sooner." He looked up from his hand and Jaune felt like Zhang was staring directly into his soul, "Deviate from this plan, and I will inform Miss Nikos exactly why you look tired and injured all day, every day."

Jaune's eyes grew wide as saucers, and he felt his mouth go dry, "I… what are you… how…?"

"I have my ways, Jaune." Zhang answered evenly, "And even if I didn't, any competent mentor would have immediately suspected something was amiss when their student collapses after only the third lap around the training facility in a fifty pound weight jacket." He raised an amused eyebrow and the increasingly sheepish operative sitting across from him, "Or did you not notice the fact that I left that tidbit out of my explanation to Miss Nikos regarding why we were playing a board game and not training? It will suffice for you to know that I've been aware since the beginning, and I have made no effort to tell anyone about your secret."

Jaune swallowed, "Does… does anyone else know?"

Zhang shrugged, "Bradford, naturally. Other than him, no. Not even van Doorn knows."

The idea that the Central Officer knew of his experiments with Vahlen terrified Jaune, though he took a small measure of comfort in knowing that he hadn't blown the whistle on their operation either. Did Vahlen know that Bradford knew? At the very least, it seemed like Bradford shared Zhang's opinion of 'keep it on the down-low.'

Whatever combination of emotions the Colonel saw on Jaune's face, it provoked him to speak up and fill the silence left by the hunter's internal panic, "You're probably wondering why I haven't said a word to anyone about this, considering the ramifications it would have if your friends knew."

Jaune nodded, barely able to find his usual voice, "That is one of the many questions I have asked myself, yes."

Maybe Jaune imagined it, be he could've sworn he saw a fleeting look of pride on Zhang's face, "Because I find your actions to be extremely honorable."

"Uhh… sir? Maybe you forgot that I've been lying to my friends and superior officers."

"Well obviously _that_ isn't what I'm referring to, but it was a choice born out of necessity, so I find it easy to ignore."

Jaune saw 'the look' in his eye that meant his next words would be deadly serious, "I've been watching you, my friend. You struggle to fit in here. You feel incompetent with your gunning skills, and you watch as all your Remnant allies have easily found a niche that they fill well. You spend countless hours at the range trying to prove your worth, because in your mind, you have nothing to offer. Then this fiasco with Sergeant Xaio Long and Lieutenant Rose happens, and you see a golden opportunity to make a difference."

Zhang leaned over the table so that his face was less than a foot away from Jaune's, "However, there's one minor detail that sets you apart. The way Miss Rose makes a difference is by drilling a Thin Man through the skull from halfway across the AO. The way Miss Valkyrie makes a difference is by possessing an uncanny aptitude for explosions of every shape and form." The Colonel lowered his voice to barely above a whisper, "The way Mister Arc decided to make a difference was by inflicting an unthinkable amount of pain upon himself for the sake of his comrades."

Returning to a reclined position in his chair, Zhang took another sip of his beer and continued, "A soldier who jumps on a grenade to save his squad is similarly heroic, yet his suffering is over in an instant. Day after day, you are forced to make the conscientious decision that what you are doing is right, and that you must continue to do so until you have succeeded. _That_ is the sense of honor that has earned my respect."

Speechless, Jaune watched as his mentor chugged the rest of his drink, casually set the glass on the table, and closed his eyes to savor the flavor (and very likely the stunned silence following his monologue). Eventually, however, the old gunner peeked at Jaune with one eye, "You're still here." Zhang noted, mildly confused, "Do I need to repeat my instructions, or is there something else you wanted to ask me?"

Jaune shook his head, "N-no, sir." He stood up and gave Zhang a slight bow, "Thank you Colonel for your time, but I have more important business to take care of."

As the young man spun around and practically ran out of the lounge, Zhang smirked at his student's retreating figure, "Indeed you do, Mister Arc."

* * *

Pyrrha didn't know why she bothered with her plan to go to the shooting range. While she was humble enough to know that she still had room for improvement with the Plasma Rifle, she also knew that progress would come from shooting live targets on the field of battle rather than tin cans off a wall at the Armory. She only liked the idea because of the chance to shoot with Jaune, but apparently he thought playing board games took priority over learning to shoot a gun.

It bothered Pyrrha how easily Jaune could infuriate her without even realizing it. She was _positive_ he got the hint (more like a straight-up confession if Pyrrha was being honest with herself) after the school dance, since his behavior around her definitely changed in the weeks that followed. He didn't come out and say anything to her directly, but Pyrrha noticed little details in how he interacted with her. He took their rooftop training more seriously, always offered to accompany her on supply trips to Vale, and kept her company whenever she wanted to study in the library. She knew he usually hid an issue of X-ray and Vav behind the book he was supposedly reading, but his presence touched her all the same.

So why did he decide to return to his old, oblivious self? After all the progress they made together in their relationship as friends and partners? She gritted her teeth and fired another volley of low-power plasma at the targets propped up throughout the room, getting a small sense of satisfaction at hearing the sound of seven cans hit the ground after seven pulls of the trigger. A small part of her wanted to imagine Jaune's face on each can, but the rest of her argued that such thoughts were a little too harsh. She knew how much Jaune struggled at XCOM, and maybe he really thought that playing games with Zhang would help him improve.

She sighed as the last cell she checked out ran dry. Pyrrha collected her equipment and turned to leave for the Armory's quartermaster to return her borrowed gear. She was too busy thinking about how maybe she could go see what Nora and Ren were up to, and didn't notice the hurried footsteps of someone dashing from the other direction towards the firing range. In one moment, Pyrrha went from wondering if Ren finally won a game of Go Fish to laying in a daze on the concrete floor.

"Pyrrha? Oh, shoot, I'm really sorry!"

 _Oh, so the gamer decided to show up after all._

Pyrrha sat up, rubbing her head where it connected with the concrete, "Hello, Jaune."

"Hey Pyrrha. Glad to see I didn't miss you at the shooting range."

"Nope." Pyrrha answered tersely, "You definitely didn't miss me. In fact, I'd say your aim was pretty dead-on."

An outstretched gauntlet entered her field of view, and Pyrrha looked up to see Jaune standing over her, a nervous smile on his face. She also noticed he was completely dressed in his Titan Armor, which probably explained how he managed to knock Pyrrha off her feet so easily. Everything about the scene before her prevented Pyrrha from staying mad at the good-natured young man she called a partner, and a smirk found its way onto her face.

"You know, Jaune," She said as she let him help her up, "You don't have to be one-hundred percent combat ready if you're just going to shoot some targets at the range. You probably could have caught me before I was on my way out if you just grabbed a gun."

Jaune rolled his eyes, "Tell that to the Colonel." He drew himself up to his full height and did his best impression of Zhang, " _To approach your training at fifty percent is to disrespect your implements of warfare. You will practice as you would fight, or you will fight as you would practice._ " He smiled as his joke earned him a giggle from Pyrrha.

"Sorry, I forgot for a moment who your mentor is."

"Hah, I don't blame you. I'd try to forget if I could." He nodded at Pyrrha's rifle, "So are you seriously done practicing, or can I join you for a bit?"

Pyrrha had also forgotten why she was mad at Jaune up until a minute ago, "All done with Zhang's tactical training, or am I taking 'valuable time' away from your education?"

Jaune sighed. He instinctively wanted to pull his partner into a hug, but reminded himself that he was currently wearing top-of-the-line power armor while Pyrrha wore nothing more than combat fatigues, "Look, my priorities have been kinda screwed up lately, and I want to apologize for that. I've had a lot on my plate this last week, and it's been making me forget some of the more important things I have in my life."

Pyrrha's heart did a little flutter when he looked directly at her as he delivered that last bit, but she quickly pulled herself back under control. He couldn't be let off the hook after giving her puppy dog eyes and a few cheesy lines, "Bradford hasn't given us a mission all week, Jaune. What could possibly be keeping you so busy?"

He wanted to feed her his usual lie about late-night target practice, but remembered that he was here to try and make things right with his partner. So he opted to compromise with a vague truth while he avoided meeting her eyes, "A… side project. I can't tell you about it, though."

"Jaune Arc," Pyrrha started, her stern tone reminding Jaune of how scary his partner was when he made her angry, "You can be incredibly infuriating when you want to, and I honestly sometimes wonder why I put up with it."

"And I don't blame you," Jaune countered, "But this is important. Like, _really_ important."

"Then why won't you tell me what it is?"

"Because you would be very cross with me?"

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips, "I'm getting very cross with you right now, Mister Arc."

"Alright, alright. How about this: First," He held up one finger, "When this is all over, I will definitely tell you what I've been doing. Second," He held up a second finger, "If it drags on for more than three days after today, I will tell you what I've been doing before it's all over."

Jaune bent down and picked up Pyrrha's rifle, "I know it's not what you want to hear, and I _know_ you're really mad at me right now, but I need you to trust me. I promise I'll tell you everything soon."

Pyrrha stared at him wordlessly while he held out her gun for her to take. For a while, she refused the weapon and continued to stare at him, and Jaune worried she would simply walk away and leave him standing there like an idiot. He almost breathed a sigh of relief when she relented and grabbed her rifle, "C'mon. I'm all out of ammunition, so I need to head back to the quartermaster for more."

"No need," Jaune said, "I already grabbed some for you, since I figured you'd be close to running out by the time I got here."

The huntress stopped walking and smiled, though she made sure Jaune couldn't see. She reminded herself that it was the little things that made her believe he finally got the hint after the dance.

* * *

At exactly one hour before midnight, Jaune strode into Vahlen's lab, "Alright, Doc. I screwed up and put us on a deadline of three days before World War Pyrrha breaks out, so now would be a fantastic time to tell me we're really close finishing up."

Vahlen walked past Jaune and secured all the locks and release mechanisms installed on the door before turning to face him. For the first time all week, she looked very excited, "We're less than three days away from finishing up. In fact, I would say that it's highly likely that we'll be done by tonight."

Jaune's eyebrows vanished beneath his messy hair, "Tonight?"

"Yes. Last night's session helped us gather a critical mass of data, so I took the day off from working in the lab and used the time to finish my analysis and rig up a prototype Auric Enhancer."

"You and I have very different definitions of 'taking the day off,' Vahlen." Jaune said with a chuckle, "What do you need me to do?"

Vahlen grabbed a small device off of her desk and held it up for Jaune to see. His excitement faltered when he saw three long needles attached to a small circuit board, "Uhhh, where is that going, doctor?"

"I told you it's a prototype. I only had a few hours to build it before your arrival tonight, so I didn't exactly have the luxury of making it comfortable." She answered, slightly annoyed, "It attaches to your nervous system at the base of your neck."

"Oooookay… please tell me it's not secretly some sort of mind control chip that will enslave me to your every whim until someone notices and yanks it out twenty years later."

Vahlen rolled her eyes, "Can we try and be professional about this? Obviously if tonight's test works, I'll develop a model that is much less invasive."

"Alright, alright! I was just making a joke to relieve some of the stress stemming from the fact that you're going to be jamming literal _soul spikes_ into my neck in a minute."

"And I don't get any satisfaction from it, either, so let's just get the hard part over with, shall we? Shirt. Off."

Jaune did as Vahlen instructed, standing with his back facing the doctor while he tried not to think about how painful the next few seconds would be.

"Alright, five count. Five…"

Jaune knew this trick. She always initiated the painful action a second before she finished her countdown.

"Four-"

"GAH!"

Jaune winced as the needles jammed into the back of his neck and he felt the baseboard press firmly against his skin. Beyond the initial shock, only some dull pain lingered after she inserted the enhancer. All in all, he decided that things could have gone a lot worse.

"Well that… wasn't exactly awful. Now what?"

Vahlen gestured towards the interrogation chamber, "The usual. We push your limits until your nervous system triggers the Auric Enhancer. It will map the nervous pathways that open when your Aura flares, and tune itself to that configuration. This means we need to spike your adrenaline to begin with, and then maintain that level while the device does its work. The sooner we finish, the faster we can put this nightmare of a week behind us."

Jaune hesitated on his way to the chamber. He turned around and solemnly nodded at Vahlen, "I want you to know that I appreciate everything you've done. I know this hasn't been easy on your conscience, but you've gone and pulled off a miracle here. If there's anything I could do as a return favor, all you ever need to do is ask."

The doctor snorted, "Considering that I've been torturing you on a nightly basis, it's a bit hard to believe you're grateful. But you're welcome, Jaune. It's obvious that this means a great deal to you. Let's finish what we've started."

A few minutes later, Jaune found himself on the far side of the glass once more. Vahlen pushed a button on her console, and he heard her voice come in through the intercom, "Can you hear me, Jaune?"

"Yes, doctor. I'm ready to begin."

Without another word, the blinders lowered and Jaune once again found himself enveloped in darkness. He heard the whirring of the two mechanical arms Vahlen used to restrain alien prisoners. She'd never used these for their little tests before, so Jaune didn't know what she had planned for him this time. He knelt down and assumed the meditative position Ren taught JNPR so long ago. Maybe it would help him endure the next hour or two.

Jaune felt a quiet, high-pitched noise begin to ring inside his ears. As he tried to examine the sound with his senses, he also felt the air itself begin to vibrate inside the chamber. Whatever method Vahlen planned to use to get his blood pumping, the sound proved little more than an annoyance.

"You're gonna have to do more than that, Doc. This just tickles, to be honest."

No response, not that Jaune expected one. Vahlen never talked with him during experiments. Instead, the shrill sound became even more piercing, and Jaune winced slightly at the increased pitch. Perhaps he spoke too soon when he told Vahlen to crank it up. Within a minute, any attempt Jaune had made at remaining calm and collected broke down, and the leader of JNPR found himself laying on the floor, panting. He wanted so badly to cover his ears, but he knew that Vahlen could simply up the intensity to compensate.

"My head…" He groaned, "Dust, my head feels like it's going to split open."

With extreme effort, Jaune staggered to his feet. He regretted his decision to daydream during Vahlen's explanation of adrenaline, and his subsequent decision to not ask for a re-explanation out of embarrassment, but he hoped that standing up would help generate the stuff faster than laying down. The air pulsed and hummed with energy, and he could feel pressure building up behind his eyes. The hairs on his arms stood on end, as if electrified.

After a minute of staggering around in the chamber while trying to remain standing, Jaune needed answers, "Okay, Doc. Tell me we're getting close."

To his surprise and mild concern, an answer followed his request, "Something's wrong."

Jaune gritted his teeth called back, "Not the response I… was hoping for."

"The enhancer should have triggered by now."

"Is… is it broken?"

"Nein. The device is operational. I have it keyed to activate when your nervous system's energy is high enough to provide a clear path along your Auric pathways."

"Then… punch up… the energy."

Jaune felt one of the mechanical arms power down and sighed. Apparently Vahlen didn't share his same desire to make the enhancer work. He was just about to yell at her through the intercom again when he felt himself get launched through the room before slamming against the glass at the back of the chamber.

"What the hell…?"

He had enough time to stand up again before another wave of compressed air knocked him off his feet once more. The second throw did a number on his head, and he sat on the floor in a daze before the intercom rang out.

"Get up, Jaune."

"Wha…?"

" _Get up_ , Jaune."

He staggered to his feet, and a third blast knocked him back against the wall. He bounced off the glass, and as he fell forward, a blast from behind sent him tumbling towards the front. He raised his arms in time to prevent his face from smashing into the glass, and steadied himself, trying to figure out what just happened. Before he even had a chance to think, another blast rocked him sideways.

Finally, the pin dropped, and Jaune figured out Vahlen's angle. Steady pain didn't seem to be doing the trick, so Vahlen decided to improvise and do her best to simulate a fight and keep him off-balance. If combat against an invisible, invincible foe wasn't enough to get Jaune's heart racing, he didn't know what she could do to force a reaction out of him.

Despite the ringing in his ears, despite the pain and disorientation, despite the fact that Vahlen was literally blasting him to death with her mechanical arms, Jaune cracked a grin, "Bring it."

And bring it, Vahlen did. Her mechanical arms sent blows to Jaune's chest, back, legs, and even his face. He winced at each one, yet picked himself up again and again every time he fell. He tasted the metallic tang of blood in his mouth, and he was certain his physical appearance would frighten small children in its current state. And yet, despite all the abuse, Vahlen didn't stop. Whatever the reason, her little toy wasn't triggering, and she apparently didn't know why.

Minutes went by, and Jaune's stamina started flagging. He fell flat from the compressive blows far more often, and struggled more to stand back up each time. He didn't know how much longer he could keep this up. What if they didn't get the enhancer to trigger before he gave out? What if all this ended up being for nothing? He would be a failure.

Again.

Jaune steeled himself against his inner demons. He couldn't be a failure again. He _wouldn't_. Jaune couldn't do anything else right, and he would be damned if the _one thing_ he felt sure of wouldn't be enough, either. He'd been putting up with the pain and suffering for a week straight so that he could finally see his friends, his team look proudly at him and appreciate his victory.

As if to tell him "No, you're a failure and always will be," more compressive air struck him, and Jaune found himself tumbling head over heels, smashing into the back wall. Even though Jaune knew Vahlen likely hadn't changed the strength of her bursts, the assaults felt more and more like an authoritative boot crushing him down into accepting defeat. A lash to remind him that he could never compare to his friends in terms of ability and skill.

"No…" He whispered. No, he wouldn't fail. He had to see this through to the end. He saw Pyrrha, the look of disappointment on her face that he knew all too well. She did her best to hide it from him, but every flop, every defeat, every _screw up_ hurt her. He'd have to be a blind fool not to notice how much effort and compassion she poured into him, hoping to see success yet resigned to accept failure. This would just be another in a long line of disappointments he brought before his partner.

The hairs on Jaune's neck began to bristle. If there was any reason to succeed, it was Pyrrha. He owed everything to her, and yet he managed to give her nothing in return. She saved him in the Emerald Forest, picked him (of all people!) to be her partner, bared her heart and soul to him, and he gave her nothing in return. He couldn't even tell her the truth about his nightly activities, because he didn't trust her enough to let him continue. What kind of partner did that make him? He didn't like the kind of answers that rose to his mind. He failed her in as many ways as she tried to support him, and this would be the straw that broke the Ursa's back.

Again, a blast washed through him, and Jaune screamed in impotent rage. He was useless as a hunter, useless as an operative, and tonight's events proved he was useless as a lab rat. He fell to his knees and screamed again, punching the floor with his fist over and over again. Though he was weakened from Vahlen's relentless attacks, Jaune's self-loathing and hatred provided more than enough energy for a second wind. He felt the bones fracture in his hand as he continued pounding away. Once more, Jaune raised his raw and ragged hand high into the air and hammered it into the ground.

"DUST _DAMN_ IT." He roared.

And the glass cage around him cracked.


	25. Shock and Awe

A/N: And lo, on the twenty-fifth day, Dr. Amish did look down upon his creation. And on that day, in a voice barely above a whisper, he did say, "Let there be Aura."

And there was Aura. And Dr. Amish saw the Aura, and it was good.

* * *

 _Mr. Bradford,_

 _It's good to finally get in direct contact with you. I would like to extend a thank you to your Dr. Vahlen for setting up a stabilized data stream for us to communicate with one another. I trust the draw on your resources isn't too great._

 _I wholeheartedly agree with your suggestion, and have begun to call in the necessary favors to fulfill your requests. I expect this to take no more than ten Remnant hours. To my understanding, this unfortunately comes out to roughly five days on your end, but it is the best I can do. In addition to the supplies you listed, I've taken the liberty to requisition a… specialized gift from a good friend of mine. I believe your Dr. Vahlen will know what to do with it when it arrives. Just do me the favor of keeping my hunters out of the loop until she has finished the proper modifications. I think it will be better for all parties involved._

 _I will let you know when the package is ready for delivery. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further requests or additional information that you believe I should be aware of. I am always available to offer assistance as best I can._

 _Best of luck,_

 _Ozpin_

* * *

Blake held up her mechanized fist, signaling for Strike Eight to stop advancing.

" _Contacts. Scannermines show about twenty x-rays patrolling the UFO._ "

Ruby, relieved to be back in action after her painfully boring stay in the Medbay, stood next to Blake at the top of the hill overlooking their target. Aside from the few glowing lights coming from the craft and the occasional debris fire, the dark of night concealed Strike Eight's enemies from the Lieutenant's watchful eye. The night's cover served as a two-way street, however: the aliens wouldn't be able to see them, either. By the time they did, Ruby figured Strike Eight would be standing on top of a pile of alien corpses.

Behind her stood a team of seven other XCOM operatives, though tonight the title of 'Remnant hunters' felt more appropriate. They still carried a fair amount of XCOM-brand equipment, but neither their armor nor their weaponry carried the proud stamp of 'Made in the USA.' Except for Blake and Yang, of course, since they still wore their MEC suits out of necessity. Ruby, on the other hand, sighed in happiness as she felt the light, comforting feel of her combat skirt around her hips and her beloved cape on her shoulders. As the Lieutenant looked back at Strike Eight, she reminded herself just how good her friends looked in their own outfits. Shen's engineering crew even tried to include the squad's MECs in the new makeover, surprising Blake and Yang with custom paint jobs for the two hardware platforms they wore for every mission.

Finally, after four (maybe five… Ruby stopped counting) long months, Dr. Vahlen cracked the code on Strike Eight's Aura problem. Ruby felt energy surge through her as the Meld implants scattered throughout her body provided a counter field to the natural Auric suppression found on Earth. She remembered the excitement in Vahlen's voice over the intercom when she requested RWBY and JNPR's presence in her lab. Once they arrived, she happily introduced them to the new piece of technology she developed, and proudly informed them that she could commence the installation process immediately.

She operated on Ruby and Yang last, as she wanted to proceed much more carefully in light of their Aura-sensitive Psionic injuries. As it turned out, the doctor's intuition proved correct: Yang had to spend an extra half an hour under the knife, and Ruby's surgery took a whole hour longer than normal. Where Vahlen could simply "open up" all the Auric pathways on the other hunters, she had to carefully limit the energy increase for Ruby, lest it react badly with the psionic energy rattling around in her noggin. Even with Vahlen's painstaking care, Ruby complained about a mild headache afterward while the rest of her friends reported no negative side effects.

If it wasn't for the fact that Ruby stumbled upon a rather… explosive conversation, she never would have known about Jaune's involvement in the breakthrough.

* * *

"You did _WHAT_?!"

Everyone walking past the barracks stopped and curiously turned towards the source of outrage from within. The excitement Ruby felt at being officially discharged from the medbay by Dr. Vahlen quickly drained when she instantly recognized Pyrrha's voice. Dear, sweet Pyrrha, whose dulcet tones usually served as the cheerful voice of reason for her team (as well as, upon occasion, Ruby's own). Much to Ruby's dismay, she couldn't remember her friend ever being this angry, and shuddered to think what could be the cause of such outrage.

"Pyrrha, listen. Just calm down, I-"

The sound of Jaune's voice suddenly helped clear a few things up for the leader of Strike Eight. If anyone could get on Pyrrha's nerves, it would be her partner. Even so, the extent of Pyrrha's anger usually extended to a frustrated groan or a balled-up fist. This sounded like her fury was soaring to new heights.

"Calm down? _Calm down_? Oh, I am very calm right now, Jaune Arc. So calm, that I will be calmly dragging your ass somewhere more private so that I may continue to calmly scream at you for the next ten minutes, followed by a week of calmly ignoring you. WHY WOULD YOU KEEP THIS FROM ME?"

"Pyrrha, please!"

A small crowd gathered around the entrance to the barracks by the time the very-angry redhead stormed out. True to her word, Pyrrha held a firm grip on the neck of Jaune's shirt, and Ruby watched her fellow leader hang limply in resignation to his fate, his boots sliding loudly on the concrete behind him. As they passed, Ruby could practically see storm clouds brewing in Pyrrha's eyes. Whatever Jaune told her, it incensed the Mistralian far beyond anything the poor idiot had done thus far in their budding friendship. Jaune, on the other hand, had eyes that gazed up pleadingly at Ruby the moment they locked on to her presence. She could practically hear him say, 'Ruby, please! Do something, anything, to save me from Pyrrha's warpath!'

So against her better judgment, Ruby began trotting alongside the wrathful Pyrrha Nikos, "Uh… hey, Pyr."

"Not now, Ruby."

"Jaune screw up again?"

"Yup."

"Pretty badly, from the looks of it."

"Oh yes. Absolutely."

"This… wouldn't have anything to do with our visit to Vahlen's lab this afternoon?"

"On the contrary, it has _everything_ to do with our visit to Vahlen's lab this afternoon."

"Ah…" Ruby grew quiet for a moment, though she continued to keep pace with her two friends. Once more, despite every fiber in her body telling her not to, she opened her mouth, "Do I want to know?"

"No, Ruby. You do not."

Ruby looked down at her feet, shoulders slumped, "Okay… can you do me one favor, though?"

Pyrrha stopped walking, though her firm grip on Jaune's collar remained. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and replied with an even tone, "Depends what the favor is."

"Just… don't kill him, okay? I'm sure he had his reasons, and I think we all kinda like the guy. It would be a shame if you murdered him." Despite the heavy undertones of their conversation, Ruby struggled to suppress a giggle when she looked back and saw the shocked look on Jaune's face. It probably did sound weird to hear two of his friends talk about his death as casually as if they were discussing the quality of the oatmeal served at breakfast.

Pyrrha remained silent for a moment, then, "Regardless of his reasons, I make no promises. Now please do me a favor and leave. I need to have a serious conversation with my partner."

Ruby watched her squadmates continue down the hall. Every operative and base personnel they passed turned their head to watch in a mixture of awe and amusement. While the scene before her certainly looked comical, Ruby did feel concerned for Jaune. She watched Pyrrha turn into an empty room and slam the door behind her before following in the huntress's footsteps. Ruby didn't want to eavesdrop on the conversation, but she did want to be nearby in case she heard shouting or something. Regardless of the fact that they were from team JNPR and she RWBY, they _were_ her subordinates on Strike Eight.

Upon reaching a patch of wall reasonably close to the closed door, Ruby sat down on the floor. People walking by cast odd looks in her direction, but she paid them no mind. Instead, she tried to focus her attention inward on her Aura. She knew that she had nowhere near as good control over her raw Aura as someone like Ren, but it still couldn't hurt to practice flexing her soul's muscles a bit while she waited.

Twenty minutes passed, and Ruby could still hear the sound of muffled voices from within, though they fortunately didn't sound heated anymore. Whatever sparked this, it seemed the two of them definitely had a lot of words for each other. Not that Ruby minded, since it seemed Jaune had a bad habit of keeping his partner out of the loop. Maybe after this event, they'd be closer as partners and better able to fight as a team. Or maybe they'd be something more? Ruby's cheeks turned a light shade of pink at the thought of what the two might be doing behind that closed door.

At thirty minutes, Ruby noticed the voices had died down. She wanted to make sure that the two were okay, but she wondered if she'd be interrupting something by checking on them. Her officerial instincts overruled her imagination of a tittering schoolgirl, so Ruby approached the door and gently knocked.

"Everything alright in there?" She asked. After five seconds with no response, she knocked again and repeated her question. Still nothing. Very carefully, she turned the handle and cracked the door open to have a peek. Inside, she saw her friends on the floor, side by side against the back wall. The two of them were sound asleep, with Pyrrha's head resting against Jaune's shoulder. Ruby's eyes grew wide, and she quietly closed the door once more. Until her friends walked out an hour later, Ruby stood guard outside the room to make sure no wandering busybodies decided to take a curious peek.

* * *

Ruby stole a quick glance at Jaune and Pyrrha. The two stood side-by-side, swords and shields at the ready with matching looks of determination on their faces. It relieved Ruby to see Pyrrha looking happy and confident rather than frustrated and upset. She made a mental note to talk to Jaune later and ask him how he managed to calm down his partner, since that sort of advice would probably come in handy with Weiss from time to time.

The petite huntress turned to face her team, smiling brightly and brimming with confidence, "Alright, team. Everybody still knows how to kick it Remnant Style, right?"

Nora giggled and gave Magnhild a few practice swings, completely ignoring Ren's incredulous look as he was forced to dodge his partner's powerful blows, "Yes, ma'am!"

Yang looked over her modified Kinetic Strike Modules. Since Shen's engineers didn't have the time to make a MEC-scaled version of Ember Celica, Yang settled for taking a second rocket fist and allowing the base nerds to attach a pair of Reflex Cannons to them. She only needed to twist her wrists _like so_ , and the shotguns would discharge. The only downside to the addition lay in the fact that her massive hands lacked the dexterity for a reload, and so she had to accept Nora's offer to be her ammo buddy when the cannons ran dry. Yang didn't mind, though: the two of them shared similar views regarding raw power vs. finesse, and Yang knew Nora would have her back no matter what.

" _Ready to party, boss._ "

Ren gave his weapons one final check before stowing them in his sleeves and pooling Aura into his hands, "Ready."

Ruby looked at her partner, "You all set?"

Weiss rotated the revolver chamber on Myrtenaster until a light blue cylinder locked into place. She returned Ruby's look with a grin, "Absolutely."

"Good." Ruby slammed her beloved Crescent Rose into the ground and looked through the weapon's brand-new SCOPE. The sight's active HUD linked with Blake's Battle Scanners and marked the Mechtoid pod patrolling closest to Strike Eight. Two mechs, four Sectoids, and a Commander? Child's play. Ruby lined up her rifle with the Sectoid Commander.

"Let's see how these guys react to Vahlen's latest toy. Four? If you would be so kind as to carpet bomb the squad after I mark the location…"

" _Standing by to deliver payload._ "

Ruby pulled the trigger, and watched her Dust round penetrate the Sectoid Commander. A moment later, the alien glowed a bright white before exploding in a shower of chunked rest of the squad immediately responded to the attack, with the Mechtoids warming up their plasma coils while the Sectoids scurried to hide behind their mechanical bullet sponges.

"Target's marked… or what's left of it, anyway. Toast 'em, Four."

Yang leaned down, and the dual grenade launchers on her back hummed to life. The Devastator's on-board Battle Computer calculated the requisite trajectories and adjusted the MEC platform's firing angle accordingly. Yang cracked a grin when she saw the word 'LOCKED' flash across her HUD, " _Raining fire._ "

The muzzle flash from the two launchers briefly lit up the top of Ruby's hill, and she watched the blinking grenades sail through the air and land directly on top of the Commander's splattered corpse. In a flash of green plasma, three of the four Sectoids fell lifelessly to the ground.

"Vanguard team, move in. Six, provide covering smoke."

Weiss, Blake, Jaune, and Pyrrha began sprinting down the hill. As they raced towards the rattled Mechtoid squad, blasts of pink smoke erupted in front of them. Weiss rode on the back of Blake's frame while their friends from JNPR ran alongside them with shields raised. Plasma burst through Nora's haze all around them as the alien mechanicals made an attempt to return fire. One shot struck Jaune's heater shield dead center, causing the hunter to stumble back from the force of the blow into the safety of one of Nora's clouds. He shook off the jarring effects of the heavy plasma before making an effort to catch up to his teammates.

"Minimal damage." He reported, "Though I'll have to clean the burn marks off my shield after we get back."

The other three reached their targets mere seconds later. Weiss flipped off of Blake's back as her teammate slammed a hardened fist into the first Mectoid, crushing it against the UFO's wall. With a wave and a thrust of Weiss's rapier, a glyph appeared beneath the second mech. The pilot panicked and tried to backpedal, but found its machine's legs to be encased in ice. The remaining Sectoid tried to scamper away, only to have its escape cut off by a red and gold spear impaling itself inches away from its face. Before it even had a chance to reverse directions, Pyrrha's shield struck it square in the head and sent the alien sprawling. The huntress appeared a moment later, magnetically pulling Miló back to her hand before driving it through the Sectoid's chest.

Ruby watched her friends commence melee with the first alien contacts and felt a twinge of envy. It took a great deal of self-control not to pick up Crescent Rose and zip down there into the thick of combat. She reminded herself that having half of the squad stay back to watch for additional alien pods offered a better tactical advantage than ordering everyone to run headlong into close range. From here, she could gather superior intelligence and assess the battle's progression accordingly.

Yang's grenade launchers cycled to prep another pair of explosives for launch while Nora reloaded Magnhild's ammunition. Ruby watched Ren meditate next to Yang, amused that he could remain so calm even as a fight raged down the hill. His calm demeanor vanished instantly, however, and Ruby noticed him tense up. Her mild concern turned into alarm when his eyes shot wide.

"Behind us…" He whispered. In a flash Ren leapt to his feet and pulled StormFlower into his outstretched hands. He flung himself away from where he sat moments ago and unloaded a hail of bullets into the empty space. A Seeker materialized and crashed into the grass from Ren's assault, but quickly recovered and shot forth towards its target. Rather than run away, Ren charged his enemy and dropped into a slide, raking the sharp talons of his weapon along the Seeker's lower extremities as the two moved past each other. The robot's powerful tentacles barely missed Ren and left deep furrows in the ground as it slowed to a halt to turn and face its opponent once more.

Ruby gritted her teeth. Just her luck that a pod of Seekers was onboard the UFO. Why hadn't the Hyperwave Relay picked up on that? Whatever the case, where there was one, there must be others.

"Three!" She said over the intercom, "I need a scanner at my location, ASAP."

" _We have a Code Tokyo._ " Yang helpfully added, eliciting a sigh from her sister.

Within seconds, a small scanner flew up the hill and powered up, revealing five other Seekers. One in particular looked very large and very angry.

"Ooooohhhhh boy, that does not look good."

The seekers swarmed forward. Ren still remained locked in hand-to-tentacle combat with the first contact, leaving the remaining three huntresses to deal with the newcomers. Nora leapt forward and slammed her hammer into the alloyed skull of the lead Seeker, crushing it into the dirt and sending sparks flying. A second capitalized on the sacrifice of its brethren, wrapping a few coiled members around Nora's waist and legs while she remained distracted. It didn't pull her into a suffocating hug, but it kept the surprised huntress immobilized.

"Nora!" Ruby cried. She moved to help, but yelped as plasma fire from the big one forced her to take evasive action instead.

" _Let. Go!_ " Yang's fist connected with the Seeker holding down Nora, her Reflex Cannon discharging at the moment of impact and ejecting wired circuitry through the back of the robot's skull. It's grip on Nora, though loosened, still managed to pull her along as the impact from Yang's fist sent the Seeker sailing through the air.

Ren's fight continued on. The Seeker's four tentacles versus Ren's two meant that his agility was the only thing keeping him from a literally crushing defeat. He dodged over a swipe from two directions, and unloaded a few more bullets into the construct before stabbing it again. A lucky swipe caught him off guard and sent him tumbling before he managed to roll back into a fighting stance. The Seeker flew at him, and Ren jumped high with his legs tucked to his chest. As the target passed beneath him, he delivered an Aura-charged double kick to send it crashing to the ground. He landed on top of his foe and drove StormFlower's twin blades deep into the base of it's neck.

"Four, handle the big one. The rest of us will keep the other two off your back."

" _Understood. HEAT Explosives primed and ready._ "

Ruby zipped over to Nora and helped untangle her friend from the dead Seeker's heavy tentacles. The two of them readied their weapons and assessed the remaining pair of targets. The two robots floated above the fight, searching for an opening to exploit while using the safety of the skies against their enemies' melee weapons.

Nora laughed sadistically, "Hah! Stupid squiddies. Don't they know the first rule of Remnant weapons?" She aimed her newly-shifted grenade launcher into the sky and chambered her first grenade, "It's also a gun, ya dumb metal heads."

Grenades erupted around the fliers while high-velocity sniper rounds smacked into their plated frames. While the concussive blasts from Magnhild successfully knocked the Seekers out of the sky, Ruby noted that her targets were resistant to her Dust-infused bullets.

The Lieutenant keyed her mic while Nora got to work pulverizing the first grounded Seeker, "Note to all operatives: robotic targets seem to be resistant to all types of ballistic attacks, whether they're infused with Dust or not. Use Remnant munitions on soft targets, but switch to Plasma technology otherwise."

A pair of shotgun blasts pulled her attention back to the battle on the hill. Yang's explosives left definitive marks on the armored hide of her foe, but the massive Seeker appeared to be made of sterner stuff than its allies. As it flew in to wrap its tendrils around Yang's frame, the MEC pilot held it off by throwing a punch into its gaping maw and discharging her Reflex Cannon upon impact. She capitalized on the advantage of her momentum and followed up with several more shotgun punches, each one knocking back the giant Seeker as it tried to regain its balance. The tides turned as it managed to wrap one thick member around Yang's arm, and her counter-punch was accompanied by a feeble _click_.

" _Oh hell. Gun's dry._ " She confirmed, her voice a combination of frustration and apprehension. The Seeker sensed the shift in its opponent's flow, and wrapped its remaining extremities around Yang's MEC with renewed vigor. The appendages tensed, and Ruby got the sense that the only thing stopping the MEC's armor from collapsing was Yang's Aura.

"Central, when was the last time you saw a Seeker latch onto a MEC?" Ruby asked.

"Never." Bradford responded, "Though I've also never seen one quite this big."

" _This really hurts._ " Yang commented dryly. Ruby readied Crescent Rose and leapt up to her sister's aid. Because the Seeker wrapped itself so tightly around Yang's MEC, Ruby couldn't get a clean slice at any of the appendages. However, she did have the opportunity to bury her scythe's tip into one of the arms and discharge plasma into the robot's face at point-blank range.

The Seeker roared in rage and disconnected from the MEC, immediately following with an attempt at wrapping Ruby in a death squeeze. In a flash of rose petals, the young huntress vanished where the Seeker attempted to grab her, instead reappearing in the air above it. With a burst of speed courtesy of Crescent Rose's recoil, Ruby streaked down at the monster and cleaved one of its arms cleanly in half. She backed off and watched Yang close in on the Seeker, her visor glowing a deep red.

As the robot tried to back away from the enraged pilot, Yang stomped down hard and pinned one of the tentacles to the earth. She reached down and grabbed the other two, yanking them in opposite directions while the robot's dense alloys groaned in protest. Yang took her free foot, planted it on the Seeker's neck, and once again pulled hard on the two appendages. With a snap, they ripped free, and the Seeker wailed helplessly at its continued mutilation.

" _Nora. Hammertime._ "

Nora looked up from her latest kill and saluted with a grin, "Batter up!"

Yang gripped the Seeker's last member and used it to swing the robot like a bolas before launching it at her teammate. With a giddy yell, Nora slammed Magnhild into the Seeker's head and sent it flying skyward. Despite the complete lack of a sun anywhere in the sky, Nora shielded her eyes from an imaginary light source as she tracked her victim's progress through the air. Yang, however, had other plans for her friend.

" _Nora. Fastball Special._ "

Ruby sighed, "Four, you know _very_ well that Rule 24- aaaaaaaaand there she goes."

She watched the now-airborne Nora rapidly catch up to the soaring Seeker, raise her hammer, and send the crumbled remains of the robot back to Earth with a massive explosion. A few angled grenade blasts later, and Nora neatly landed next to Yang, a wide smile playing across her face.

"Oh man, I don't know what the Doc put in that Elerium Dust, but it is _totally_ awesome!"

Ruby couldn't help but return Nora's energy with a smile of her own. The Seekers taken care of, she returned her attention to the battle below while Nora set about reloading Yang's shotguns. Blake reduced her Mechtoid target to a pulverized mass of twisted metal, and Ruby saw the Pathfinder helping the other three take down the second pilot. Pyrrha wielded Miló in its rifle form and used it to pepper the Mechtoid's face plate with Dust rounds, forcing the pilot into a protective stance and leaving it exposed to an offensive by Weiss and Blake. The former continued to drastically reduce the alien's mobility with ice glyphs while the latter seized the opportunity to pelt it with punches.

As she scanned the surrounding area, Ruby noted a small herd of Mutons stomping around one side of the UFO towards the engagement and a squad of Floaters flying in over the top.

"New contacts inbound, Vanguard." She warned, "Mutons from the left and fliers from above. You should wrap up with that Mechtoid and- _CONTACTS ON THE RIGHT._ "

Ruby's heart skipped a beat when a squad of Thin Men appeared from literally nowhere, Plasma Rifles raised and aimed at her friends. In the split-second before they fired, Pyrrha immediately turned to face the threat with Akoúo̱ raised to defend herself while Blake finished off the Mechtoid. Her metal plating would be enough to easily shrug off any damage from the ambush, but Ruby worried about Weiss. Her partner spent a lot of stamina supporting Blake and possessed no shield of her own. Out of the four members of the Vanguard team, Weiss found herself in a legitimately bad position. As the highly-accurate infiltrators fired their first salvo at the team, Jaune leapt to the rescue.

Because he lacked any way to provide ranged support against the Mechtoid, he found himself unable to help and was forced watch the one-sided fight play out. As a result, he had the time to notice his friend's vulnerability and react to the Thin Man squad. Jaune slid in front of Weiss with his shield raised as plasma slammed into XCOM steel and Remnant plating. A few stray shots struck the hunter's exposed legs, and Ruby saw him wince through her scope.

"I'm alright, but that really burns." He said through gritted teeth, "Seems like Plasma isn't completely ineffective against Aura."

"Sounds like we might have to wear protective armor after all." Ruby answered, suppressing a sigh as she sniped her first target with an Elerium round, "At least you're okay."

Ruby silently signaled for her three squadmates to counterattack the Mutons and Floaters while the Vanguard team dealt with the Thin Men. Nora and Ren dashed down the hill while Yang primed two more grenades. Below, Pyrrha and Blake returned fire on their smartly-dressed foes. The Thin Men ambushed the operatives from good cover, but Pyrrha needed little more than a well-placed Dust round to kill one. Blake's Particle Cannon fired shot after shot at the concrete cover shielding her targets, and the aliens soon found themselves in need of better positions.

A clockwork glyph glowed beneath Jaune's feet, and he felt a surge of energy rush through his body. He turned back and saw Weiss smiling. If he didn't know any better, he would've guessed she genuinely appreciated his help against the surprise attack.

"Don't forget that they detonate when killed in melee." She advised him, "Run quickly."

Jaune didn't need to be told twice. With Crocea Mors at the ready, he zipped towards the Thin Men while the world around him moved at a snail's pace. He reached the first one and sent it flying with a shield bash. Without losing step, he shifted direction towards the second. He skewered it through the stomach before yanking his sword out and stepping into a spin that finished off the alien with a clean decapitation. Jaune wasted no time in sprinting to get clear of the impending explosion, and he slashed the third alien as he dashed to safety. Seconds later, the wood and dirt behind him vaporised in a green flash of plasma.

The first Thin Man stood up, dazed from Jaune's attack, only to get pinned against a tree with Pyrrha's spear through its throat while Blake blasted the third with a powerful shot from her Particle Cannon. Pyrrha swiftly advanced under the cover of her shield as her spear returned magnetically to her grip. Weapons at the ready, she confirmed that all targets had been taken care of.

"Actual, the Thin Men have been dealt with. What's the status on the other contacts?"

"Six is keeping the Mutons suppressed with explosive fire while Eight is distracting the Floaters. Recommend Two and Five engage the football team while Three and Six get to the roof."

Two months ago, and Jaune would have been over the moon at the prospect of getting paired up with Weiss. Now, all he could think of was that Ruby's choices seemed tactically sound to him. He used his jeans to wipe the alien blood of of Crocea Mors before running back to regroup with Weiss. On his way, he saw Pyrrha jump up onto Blake's back, and he gave her a confident smile when they locked eyes.

"I don't know what Vahlen did to you," Weiss started when he caught up with her, "But it's good to see you finally hitting your stride. Ready to gut some Mutons?"

Jaune gave his sword a few test swings before grinning, "Do I get to slow down time again?"

"Unfortunately not. That glyph in particular is quite taxing. It was my way of saying 'thanks for bailing me out.' "

The duo dashed towards the sounds of exploding grenades and angry aliens.

"You'll have line of sight once you round the UFO's edge." Ruby advised them, "Of course, this means they'll have line of sight on you as well."

"Understood, boss." Jaune and Weiss slid into cover next to Nora, who greeted them with a wink.

"Welcome to the party, kiddos! We've got six bad guys over that-a-way. How do you want to handle it?"

Weiss took a quick peek around the edge of their cover. Thanks to the sounds of the Mutons grunting and Ruby's occasional suppressive shot, Weiss gained a pretty clear idea of where the aliens dug themselves in. She rejoined Jaune and Nora to lay out her plan, "I think our best bet is to go in hard and fast. Jaune is strictly melee-"

"… Don't remind me." He interjected with a sigh. Jaune, while very happy to wield Crocea Mors into combat, felt a little naked without his Plasma Dragon. His first taste of a firearm made him realize just how much he needed a ranged option for his hunter loadout. Obviously, a Light Machine Gun would be too bulky to be an efficient addition, but he needed _something_.

"- and I'm sure you're aching to break some legs." Weiss continued, "The issue is getting in close without getting fried by plasma, though I may have a solution to that."

She keyed her mic and asked Yang, "Four, you up for some Freezerburn?"

" _You know it, babe_."

" _Who you calling 'babe,' Four?_ " Blake asked.

" _Wouldn't you like to know? Ready to bring the heat when you are, Two._ "

"I'll keep them suppressed while you're casting." Ruby added, and a barrage of bullets from Crescent Rose kept the Mutons pinned down shortly thereafter.

Weiss stepped out of cover, coated Myrtenaster in blue Dust, and slammed it into the ground. Ice began to solidify around the point of impact and rapidly grew outward towards the ducking Mutons. Her ice field finished, Weiss withdrew her sword and dropped back into cover.

"Four?"

" _Here comes the Grim Reaper._ "

Once more, Yang's launchers fired, and the two explosives arced towards the point of impact. At the apex of their flight, Jaune watched them explode in midair. He was about to say something, but the blast of sixteen micro rockets carpet-bombing the clearing cut him off. The three hunters ran out from cover, Jaune leading the charge with his shield at the ready. Overhead, Ruby continued to rain down sniper fire as her friends closed to melee range.

Nora kicked things off with a bang, as usual. Magnhild came down on the first victim, blasting the alien muton sideways into its partner and sending the pair towards Jaune. The knight yelped in surprise and ducked under the flying Mutons before plunging his sword into the face of a third peeking out from behind its cover. Weiss's revolver switched from blue to a light amber, and pulsing energy ran along the length of her rapier. With practiced agility, she leapt forward and slashed a fourth Muton as she passed. The gash she left behind glowed white before gibbing the alien's arm entirely.

Yang let out a low whistle, " _The Doc sure worked a miracle with that Elerium Dust, didn't she?_ "

"Told you!" Nora yelled back.

Like a bear chasing after her prey, Nora pounced on her initial victims. The first one's helmet flattened with a sickening crunch under the force of Nora's hammer while the second swung its gun around to shoot the huntress at point blank range. Before it had the chance, Magnhild exploded once again and sent Nora flying back to safety while knocking the Muton off-balance long enough for Weiss to blast it in the back with an Elerium bolt. A roar from behind caused the two huntresses to turn and watch Jaune unleash an unrelenting flurry of sword blows against one of the remaining aliens. Most of his strikes glanced off the Muton's armor, but the alien kept backpedaling in the face of Jaune's assault.

Its partner properly distracted, Nora and Weiss focused on the last Muton of the pack. The former leapt high into the air while the latter charged down low. The Muton, in a last-ditch effort to remain alive, deployed its defensive shield. Weiss, having no means to quickly get passed the new cover, kicked off of it and flipped away to clear Nora's blast zone. Sure enough, her teammate dropped the hammer and sent the Muton sprawling from the blow. Her target now vulnerable, Weiss ran in and riddled the alien's back with innumerable lacerations. A gurgled wail marked the end of Jaune's fight as well.

"Actual, this is Two. Mutons have been dealt with."

" _Three reporting. Floaters are down._ "

"Fantastic!" Ruby said, "And we managed to pull them all out from inside the UFO, leaving more material intact for the salvage team. Let's regroup and perform one final sweep before calling it in and heading back to the Skyranger."

Even if a few modifications would be necessary to combat the alien technology, Ruby realized she hadn't felt this happy in months. Finally, she could show those stupid aliens what a Remnant huntress was _really_ capable of. And if they knew what was good for them, they'd run back to whatever hole in space they crawled out of before coming to Earth.


	26. Mayhem

XCOM enjoyed a great deal of success against the invaders in the weeks following Strike Eight's infamous "Aura Run." While Shen helped the hunters make minor tweaks and modifications to their personal loadouts and armor designs, the end result remained the same: Aura operatives kicked ass. Strike Eight became the 'new' Strike One in the sense that Bradford preferred to deploy them two at a time on other Strike teams for operations rather than sending Strike Eight on its own mission. He still deployed the entire squad twice in the three week period, but only when intel suggested a particularly dangerous composition of enemy forces. Otherwise, he preferred to assign a partner pair to another Strike's op and keep the remainder on standby for additional emergencies. Not only did this allow him to keep more of his trump cards in reserve, but it also provided an impressive morale boost for his other squads: everyone felt better when they had the hunters to back them up.

In addition to providing moral support, Bradford found that each duo's unique dynamics meant they all specialized in different mission types. Ruby and Weiss, Bradford learned, provided the greatest benefit when he sent them on Terror missions. Ruby's speed and Weiss's crowd control allowed them to lock down the alien murder squads before they could wreak too much damage on the local populace. They still needed the support of the rest of the squad, of course, but even keeping the Floaters and Chryssalids distracted greatly improved XCOM's overall ability to minimize the spread of panic on those missions.

Blake and Yang, with their heavy firepower and ability to go toe-to-toe with the reinforced hardware fielded by the aliens, found themselves assigned to operations where Central expected greater mechanized resistance. In addition to dishing out high volumes of explosive damage, Yang's semblance allowed her to take a beating that Archer MECs ordinarily couldn't handle. The fact that her Aura-charged explosives became even more powerful was merely a bonus. Blake's agility shored up Yang's weakness as a heavy-but-slow MEC: she could keep the alien squads off-balance with her rapid maneuvers, and she could use her close combat capabilities to keep high-priority targets locked down while the squad dealt with the remaining problems.

Jaune and Pyrrha served as 'blockade runners' on landed UFOs. Bradford noticed a pattern lately where the aliens appeared to get some advance warning of XCOM's arrival. Instead of facing a fragmented, uncoordinated force, his Strike teams began to report concerted defensive efforts from the aliens where they would hole up in optimal defensive positions inside the ship and try to rout XCOM in a battle of attrition. In these cases, Bradford learned that deploying Jaune and Pyrrha yielded excellent results. Not only did they both have extensive training in shield use, but Jaune's unusually large reserve of Aura allowed him to tank more hits than any of his non-MEC hunter colleagues, allowing Pyrrha to use her exceptional combat finesse to break the alien's defensive line and create an opening for the squad to exploit.

Bradford discovered Nora and Ren's niche by accident. Intel from the Hyperwave Relay failed to report the presence of an Ethereal command pod, and Bradford experienced a brief panic attack when the mysterious alien revealed itself. While a fully-unlocked Aura meant the hunters were no longer super-vulnerable to psychic attacks, Bradford didn't want to find out if a clashing of the two forces of will would result in unforeseen (and catastrophic) consequences. His fears were unfounded, however, when the Ethereal _failed_ in its efforts to mind control both Nora and Ren. Nora's… extreme personality appeared to be reflected in her Aura, as it allowed her to completely ignore the psionic assault. At the same time, Ren's exceptional control over his soul's energy allowed him to further fortify himself mentally prior to the Ethereal's attempted intrusion.

Their mental resistance not only prevented their squad mates from getting targeted instead, but distracted the Ethereal long enough to allow it to be subdued. Bradford would have preferred it if Nora didn't go trigger-happy on the alien with her Arc Thrower, but Vahlen appreciated the new captive all the same.

Today's alien activity required the talents of Pyrrha and Jaune, so Ruby found herself in Mission Control with Bradford to relax and listen in on her friends' latest operation. XCOM's intel picked up a landed Harvester in South America, so the Central Officer dispatched operatives Arc and Nikos to accompany Strike Five on the operation. Big Sky dropped them off at the landing site a few minutes ago, so Ruby occupied herself and Bradford with some friendly banter while they waited for events to unfold on the ground.

"I mean it, sir. Once we're all done kicking alien butt and Vahlen figures out a way to get us back to Remnant, you _have_ to come along. Even if you're only there for a few days, I'd love to show you around the Kingdom of Vale, give you a tour of Beacon, and introduce you to Ozpin."

Bradford chuckled, "I'm not so sure, Lieutenant. The way you build up Ozpin the Great and Powerful, it gets me thinking that I'm not even worthy to stand in his presence."

"That's not what I mean, and you know it!" Ruby pouted, "Besides, you're not giving yourself credit. I guarantee that four months of active duty on Earth has done far more for my team than all of the time we've spent at Beacon so far. Theory and training is all well and good, but none of it compares to the real thing. Without trying to marginalize how awful this war truly is for Earth, I honestly think it's been an amazing experience for my team."

"No offense taken, Ruby, and I can't argue with you about the combat experience. However, I think the credit should go to the operatives that accompanied you on missions and helped you learn the ropes." He waved at the room behind them and winked at Ruby, "I just sit in here and wave my pom poms around. Maybe say something every now and then."

Ruby gave Bradford a hard look, "You're the lifeblood of XCOM, the heart and soul of this operation, and you know it. Stop selling yourself short, and stop trying to weasel your way out of coming to Remnant. Because you're coming to Remnant."

"Alright, alright! You can be _really_ persistent when you want to, you know that?"

"Central? This is Five-Actual."

Bradford shared a laugh with Ruby, "Never a dull moment when Captain Beags is at the helm." He keyed his mic and responded, "I hear you, Actual. What's the situation?"

"Sir, we've got new contacts at the AO."

Bradford hesitated. Something worse than an Ethereal? The Captain didn't explicitly say it, but the aliens seemed to follow a formula of escalation. From the lowly Sectoid to the terrifying Ethereal, every new contact somehow managed to be more problematic than the last.

"Say again, Actual?"

Instead of Captain Beagle, Operative Nikos answered, "It's… Grimm, sir. We've got eyes on Grimm."

* * *

Even when riding in the exceptionally smooth, super-high-tech Skyranger, Jaune still found himself struggling to keep his lunch down when taking to the skies. He sat in his seat with his head down and eyes closed while trying to will away the upsetting sensation growing in his stomach. The only good thing about his present situation was the comforting touch of Pyrrha's hand on his own while they waited to arrive at the landing site.

"Hang in there, Sergeant. We're probably five minutes out from the drop zone." Five-Actual said. Jaune didn't know much about the different language dialects and accents on Earth, but he did know that he found the Australian voice of Captain Beagle to be rather comforting.

"I'll be fine." Jaune answered, "Even though I never get along with flying, the feeling goes away pretty quickly after I get dirt back under my feet."

The Captain flashed Jaune his trademark grin, "Of course. Believe it or not, us lowly Earthlings are also capable of getting airsick. Just hang in there until touchdown, and we'll give you a minute to get right before moving out."

"Thank you, sir." To be honest, Jaune found himself handling the ride better than he usually did. He didn't know if his body finally decided to suck it up and adapt to flying, or his heart-to-heart with Pyrrha affected him in unexpected ways, but he wasn't about to complain.

He knew he should've had that talk with his partner a long time ago. She probably thought he was done with his stupid 'I can do things on my own' phase after The Cardin Incident, but they both learned the truth on that one the hard way. Admitting his incompetence to Pyrrha and asking her to help train him certainly made for a good first step, but the feelings of inadequacy still persisted. Whether he liked it or not, Jaune's pride had a nasty habit of clouding his judgment and driving him away from a problem's rational solution. It told him that he _needed_ to prove to Pyrrha (and himself) that he could do something without her help. He _needed_ to surprise her with his competence and prove that he had something to offer as a partner. Stupid, of course, but that's how he thought it had to be.

But then she cried in his face. They started off as tears of rage as she demanded that Jaune explain how he could possibly do this to her. She vehemently claimed that his secret would have been safe with her, and she would have done everything possible to help him with his goal. When he explained why he wanted to do it alone, the tears turned to frustration, and then finally to despair. Jaune eventually realized that they didn't only come from a place of helplessness, but also carried a 'been here before' sort of feeling. To her, Jaune didn't need to prove anything. She had made it clear time and again why she valued him as a partner, and that her reasons weren't hinged on him becoming this great hunter that he had stuck inside his head. The fact that he still couldn't understand this hurt her far more than his actual choices and actions.

Someway, somehow, the pin finally dropped for Jaune. Maybe the confidence he gained from finally accomplishing something helped him see the situation from a better perspective, but he finally realized how petty and stupid his logic sounded. His machismo, in addition to solving absolutely nothing that couldn't also be accomplished with teamwork, hurt the one person who mattered more than any other in his life. Pyrrha must have noticed his immediate change in attitude, because she gave him a look that asked, "Do you understand now?"

In that moment, Jaune decided the best course of action would be to quote a movie some of his friends at the anthill forced him to sit down and watch, "First, I must tell you that I've been the most unmitigated and comprehensive ass."

Amazingly, Pyrrha laughed at his attempted joke, and the tension in the room vanished. The rest of their conversation and subsequent reconciliation went far smoother than Jaune felt he deserved.

The pilot broke Jaune away from his thoughts with a call over the Skyranger's comms, "Touchdown." A second later, the ramp lowered, and Strike Five deployed without a word.

"All good, Seven?" Beagle asked.

"All good." Jaune confirmed, "Ammo's locked in, and Aura's at the ready. Let's do this."

Jaune smiled at the comforting weight of the compacted Plasma Dragon on his back. After talking with Bradford about his need for a ranged option, the Central Officer held a brief meeting with Dr. Shen. Two days later, and the Chief Engineer presented Jaune with a modified Dragon that folded into a mag-lockable backpack instead of a hammer. Now, if he found himself in a situation where Crocea Mors simply wouldn't suffice, Jaune could pull his trusty LMG off his back and lay waste to his foe.

Strike Five ran a quick weapons check before moving out to approach the craft. The Captain's standard protocol dictated that the team perform a roundabout sweep of the UFO's perimeter to catch alien patrols by surprise. If the operatives eliminated them quickly enough to avoid a raised alarm, Strike Five could continue the sweep undetected. While the plan didn't always work perfectly, it usually did allow Beagle to choose where and how to start the engagement. With his supposed propensity for bad luck, the Captain gladly jumped on any measure he could that might help control the flow of battle.

"Five? You hearing anything up ahead?"

With Desperado's gene-modded hearing, Strike Five had less of a need for a Scout on their roster than other squads. The Infantryman held up a hand, signaling for the team to stop while he listened. The operatives crouched low while their squadmate tried to pick up any unusual noises. After a moment's pause, he shook his head, "Nothing yet, sir. I can definitely hear stomping out in the distance, but it's too far away to identify."

Beagle nodded, "Alright. Let's be careful, people. Don't forget to stick to high cover when you can so your ass isn't hanging out for a Thin Man to shoot off."

"Just over the river and through the woods to Papa Muton's house we go, right boss?"

"Right you are, Three. Now shut up so the ayys don't hear us."

The team moved through the cover offered by the surrounding tree line, waiting for Desperado to pick up any more details on the alien movements. The Captain's caution meant that progress was slow, and some of the operatives started getting restless.

"Hey, Seven," The squad's Engineer started as he pulled up to the rocky outcropping next to Jaune, "I've been thinking about stuff."

Jaune cast a sideways glance at his new cover buddy, "What is it, MacAuley? Don't forget, we're supposed to be quiet."

The Sergeant waved him off, "Pssh, with ol' Cat Ears over there, we'll hear the aliens long before they hear us. Now, this thing I was thinking about." He looked around to make sure nobody else could listen in before whispering conspiratorially to Jaune, "I've been giving a lot of thought to your team's nicknames."

"Waaaaaiiiit a minute." Jaune said, suspicion growing in his eyes, "You're the guy who gave those nicknames to RWBY, aren't you?"

Conor grinned, "The one and only. Now listen, I-"

"Contacts." Desperado stated, "Mutons. Should be coming around the corner of the UFO soon. There's also something making a ruckus inside, but I don't recognize it as anything we usually hear from the aliens moving around. We should be careful."

The Engineer rolled his eyes, "Another time, I guess."

The team got into positions and waited while Desperado counted down on his hand. At zero, they saw a trio of Elites come into view. The team's Sniper, Tech Sergeant Pablo '3-13' Ortega, brought his weapon's scope up to his eye and tracked the targets.

"Hey…" He said, drawing out the word, "Is it just me, or they _limping_?"

Pyrrha's mentor looked down again, and his eyebrows shot up in surprise, "Jesus, you're right. Dribbling some of that shit-for-blood they have down their armor, too. Either the aliens hold a secret fight club that we don't know about, or something fucked these guys up bad. Never thought I'd see what's under an Elite's helmet outside of Vahlen's lab, but here we are. Looks like the others are checking its face for injuries."

"That's… odd." Beagle noted, "But as far as openings go, this one looks pretty heavily in our favor. Let's gank the bastards. Three, will you do the honors?"

Ortega locked in a Dust-marked magazine into his rifle, lined it up with his first target, and breathed out. At the pull of the trigger, his gun kicked back and the Muton Elite's head exploded in a shower of flame. Before the other two alien could begin to panic, the rest of Strike Five rained plasma and supercharged particles upon them. Within seconds, the already wounded Elites disintegrated into pile of burning flesh and smoking armor.

The grin on Beagle's face vanished when a howling screech erupted from inside the UFO.

"Uhh, what in God's name was that?"

Pyrrha and Jaune exchanged glances. They both recognized the sound immediately, but they both knew that it couldn't possibly be what their instincts told them.

The Captain toggled his comm and hailed Mission Control, "Central? This is Five-Actual."

The sounds of rending metal reached the ears of the squad as they remained hunkered behind cover. Operatives took the opportunity to double-check the ammo reserves on their weapons from the first ambush and reload in preparation for whatever was trying to tear its way through the hull. Finally, Bradford responded, "I hear you Actual. What's the situation?"

The top of the Harvester blew itself wide open and a pair of fliers shot into the sky. These, however, were no Floaters. Black as night, save for their bone-white skulls and talons. The two birds flew straight up, then deployed their wings to show off their impressive size to the operatives of Strike Five.

"Sir, we've got new contacts at the AO."

Blood-red eyes scanned the horizon as the two creatures soared above the UFO. Neither Jaune nor Pyrrha knew what the birds were searching for, but they could both agree on one thing: the presence of those monster meant _very_ bad news for XCOM.

"Say again, Actual?"

"It's… Grimm, sir." Pyrrha cut in, "We've got eyes on Grimm."

As if to punctuate Pyrrha's statement, the birds of prey shrieked once more. Several of the operatives, unaccustomed to such creatures, winced and covered their ears at the sound.

"Switching on tactical cameras, Central." Beagle quietly said over the comm while flipping a toggle on his helmet, "For, y'know, your viewing pleasure."

The Captain gently tapped Jaune on the shoulder to get his attention, "So, two questions for you since you seem to know what's going on here. First: what the fuck are those? Second: how the fucking fuck are we supposed to bring them down?"

"Those are Nevermores, Captain. Be glad they're not Giant Nevermores."

"Oh good, there's bigger ones." Beagle muttered, "Because why not?"

"Both variants have very sharp claws and beaks." Pyrrha said.

"Obviously."

"They extremely strong and highly intelligent." Jaune noted.

"Of course."

"And they can shoot quills from their wings like projectiles." Pyrrha finished.

The Captain groaned, "It's like I'm back in goddamn Australia. Tell me, do these things also have blood that will instantly burn through your skin? Laser beam eyes? Exploding shit?"

Jaune scratched his head, trying to remember what (little) he learned in Port's class about Nevermores, "I don't think so, sir. As for how we kill them…" Jaune pulled his backpack into his hands and began to unfold his Plasma Dragon, "Lots and lots of firepower."

Beagle sighed and grabbed his rocket tube to begin prepping it for combat, "Right, then. Considering you two know what the fuck we're dealing with, I'm going to give Sergeant Arc a temporary field promotion to squad leader."

The two hunters glanced up again at the Nevermores, who appeared perfectly content to circle over their UFO 'prey.' Whether they did so to search for more alien snacks or because they identified the ship as their nest, Jaune couldn't tell.

"Right," Jaune started, "Couple of things we know and don't know. What we know: these things aren't a joke. Stick to cover, but be ready to haul ass. I don't know how well Earth trees can hold up against their quills, so you might need to relocate if the contacts tear through these oaks like paper. We also know that Dust rounds can bring them down, but it takes _a lot_ of them. They're pretty good at shrugging off body hits, so aim for the head, specifically the eyes or the mouth of it's open." Jaune glanced at Ortega, "I'm looking at you, 3-13."

The sniper gave Jaune a wry salute, "Think the Doc's Elerium Dust will work?"

Jaune shrugged, "It's never been tested on Grimm, so I don't know. Vahlen says it's got the same basic chemical structure as Remnant Dust, so I imagine it will. But this leads me to the point of what we don't know: whether or not Plasma can affect them. Now, since Plasma is just balls of superheated energy, I'm going to assume the answer is 'Yes,' but we don't know for certain. I think to start with, we should have most of the squad use Plasma ammunition, and adjust accordingly once we see whether or not it's effective. The two marksmen will drill it with specialized ammo while the Captain will be using his launcher. For the rest of us, though…"

The Gunner glanced over at MacAuley, "Hope you brought enough Flak Ammo to share."

MacAuley grinned, pulled out his ammo pack off his armor, and started digging out the requested equipment, "You know it, boss."

" _Temporary_ boss." Beagle reminded him.

"Captain? Ortega? Keep an eye on the birds while the rest of us prep. I don't know if shredder rockets will help… but they probably can't hurt, either." Jaune turned his attention to the squad's Jaeger MEC, "Vulcan, you'll probably want to switch to a Mass Accelerator Cannon loadout for this, armed with Vahlen's explosive shells. Just make sure you're quiet about it."

" _Understood._ "

In less than a minute, Sergeant MacAuley passed out Flak Ammo to the five 'Plasma Shooters' while Vulcan deployed and aligned his supercharged weapon. Shortly thereafter, all eyes became focused on the Nevermores. One remained circling in the air while the other landed on the roof of the Harvester to peer inside the gaping hole, probably for more aliens.

"Everyone ready?"

A varied medley of "Yes sirs" responded, and Jaune let out a shaky breath, "Alright, Vulcan leads off on the landed target, followed by 3-13. If it's not dead by then, and I suspect it won't be, the Captain will shred it with a Javelin and then everyone else will try to unload as much ammo into that thing in as little time as possible. If we can bring this fight down to one Nevermore before they even get a chance to respond, we'll be in good shape. Just remember that head shots are ideal, and we're trying to determine if Plasma works well."

Jaune brought his Plasma Dragon, loaded up with MacAuley's Flak Plasma rounds, to rest on top of a rotting log. As soon as that damn bird took flight, he planned to unload a flurry of fire into its face. But first… "Alright, Vulcan. Tag it."

The hairs on Jaune's neck stood on end as the Mass Accelerator reached maximum capacitance and discharged its high-yield payload. Vulcan aimed true, and a tremendous explosion rocked the sitting Nevermore while the weapon's Holo-Targeter fed the MEC's allies with critical aiming information. The Nevermore cawed in pain as the direct shot to its chest dissipated, and the bird turned a gleaming red eye toward its attacker. A mistake on the Grimm's part, because Ortega's Dust round cleanly pierced the eye and emulsified the ocular cavity in a second explosion.

Jaune had to admit, Vahlen performed nothing short of a miracle with her development of Elerium Dust. After spending a month or two researching the nature of Dust with Weiss, the Chief Scientist finally had a pretty clear understanding of the material's chemical composition and properties. The main roadblock she encountered in manufacturing her own, however, was something she referred to as the Dust's 'essence.' While the rest of the molecular compound could be easily fabricated, the essence of Dust couldn't be artificially manufactured. It's what made Fire Dust behave like Fire Dust, Ice Dust like Ice Dust, and so on.

Undeterred, however, Vahlen chose to look outside the box. If she couldn't fabricate the naturally-occurring essence found in Remnant's Dust, she'd have to find a substance that would serve as an adequate substitute. It didn't take long for her to consider Elerium, the 'miracle power source' of the aliens. If a single element could be harnessed to power electric plants, Hover SHIV thrusters, and even MEC flamethrowers, then surely it could serve Vahlen's purpose in her pursuit of manufacturable Dust? Well, even if Jaune harbored doubt regarding the potency of Vahlen's work before, Ortega just proved without a shadow of a doubt that the Doctor knew her science.

Immediately, the Nevermore took to the sky as a defensive measure. The bird's erratic flight indicated just how effective the two leading shots were at wounding it. The Grimm's partner looked down in alarm and turned to search for the noisy source of the assault. Not that it needed the help, because Captain Beagle's steadied rocket erupted from the tree line and struck the wounded Nevermore with deadly shrapnel.

"Open fire!" Jaune shouted. He spun up his Plasma Dragon and shot a volley of green death at the Nevermore. With Pyrrha, MacAuley, Desperado and the squad's Assault (who form-shifted her shotgun into an assault rifle for the long-range engagement) adding their own firepower to the fray, a veritable river of energy struck the bird and its surroundings. The pair of Grimm shrieked with unholy fury, and flew through the heated clouds straight at the XCOM soldiers. With flames licking their faces and bodies as they barreled down upon the soldiers, the Nevermores looked like a pair of Valkyries descending from on high to exact swift punishment on those who dared to attack them.

Beagle cursed, "Shit. Everybody down!"

As one, the squad took cover seconds before a hailstorm of feathers churned the earth around them and splintered the trees like an axe through basla. Vulcan raised a mechanized arm to shield his head from the deadly assault, and several quills embedded themselves within his frame. While they didn't set the MEC on fire or outright kill the pilot, the force of the attack caused Vulcan to stumble and ripped free the power connection between the MEC and his weapon.

" _Damage minimal._ " The Jaeger called out, " _However, main weapon system is now offline._ "

The Nevermore's swooped low at the operatives. While the healthy one easily cleared the forest to prep for another strafing run, its weakened partner did not enjoy the same fortune. It's flesh burned and bubbling from the heavy plasma fire, it clipped one of the taller trees as it flew overhead. The mistake was costly enough to force the bird into a crash landing. Beagle gave Jaune a questioning look, and the hunter nodded in response.

"Two, CQC the fucking pigeon while it's down. Eight will help you make sure it won't be getting up anytime soon."

Pyrrha broke off from cover with the squad's Assault, the two women shifting their respective rifles back into xiphos and shotgun form as they disappeared through the trees. The remaining soldiers turned to Jaune for further instructions. The hunter watched his prey flying low behind the UFO as it circled around for a second attack.

"I feel like I don't want to know the answer," Beagle said with a sigh, "But I'm going to ask anyway: do the little shits ever run out of feather ammo?"

"Nope."

"Yeah, I probably didn't need to even ask.."

Jaune watched it come up over the UFO and gripped his weapon, "Alright, it'll probably lead off with an intimidation yell before trying to drill us full of holes. I want everyone to hold fire, then light it up as soon as the Nevermore opens its stupid mouth."

The squad stood firm as the Nevermore approached, its eyes full of hatred. As the Grimm swooped in closer, it flared its wings out to halt its forward momentum, and Jaune wondered if his prediction was wrong. Thankfully, a shriek greeted the team instead of steel-strength feathers, and Ortega shot a Dust round straight down its throat in response. The bird choked mid-caw as the bullet detonated in its mouth, and the rest of the team seized the opportunity to follow up with a fusillade of plasma. Most of the rounds detonated along the Nevermore's tougher hide, but the laws of probability worked to XCOM's favor and several shots found their way to the bird's weaker head.

Ruby's teasing voice came over the comm, "What's the holdup, Jaune? Didn't Coco take out three Nevermore with one burst from her minigun?"

"That was total bullshit, Lieutenant, and you know it." Jaune replied in mild annoyance. Still, he could appreciate Ruby's attempt at comedy to help offset the implications of XCOM's latest problem. Jaune had a hunch there'd be more than one meeting in the next few days discussing how a pair of Grimm found their way to Earth.

The Nevermore, though blistering and enfeebled from the volley of plasma, still had enough strength to counterattack with a second flurry of feathers. While the hailstorm provided enough incentive for the squad to remain hunkered in cover, the Nevermore managed to get in a few good hits. Desperado cried out as one quill pierced his arm and pinned it to the ground while another grazed MacAuley's shoulder and sent him tumbling out into the open.

Jaune gritted his teeth, knowing that the two wouldn't last long if the Nevermore decided to unleash another attack. He stepped out of cover, brought his Plasma Dragon to bear, and pulled the trigger. He felt the familiar recoil of his weapon and used it to his advantage rather than trying to fight it. With the practiced motions drilled into him over and over by Zhang, Jaune allowed his weapon's kickback to sweep a wide swath across the Nevermore's body up towards its face. The first few rounds struck the Grimm and kept it distracted from Jaune's wounded teammates while his sustained fire continued to advance across the Nevermore's faltering frame towards its head.

The Grimm's black flesh bubbled and boiled away as it remained in contact with the plasmic vapor, turning the creature from a regal-looking apex predator into a disfigured monstrosity straight out of a nightmare. It shrieked and cawed in agony, but Jaune didn't let up. He could feel his hands start to burn as his weapon overheated from the sustained fire, but he ignored the pain and continued firing. The rest of Strike Five seized the opportunity to assist the hunter and added their own firepower to his onslaught. In a matter of moments, the mutilated creature began it's final descent to the ground. Jaune watched it disappear behind the trees, and felt its impact as it reverberated across the entire forest.

The silence that followed lasted for a solid minute, interrupted only when Desperado spoke up and asked, "Uhh… anyone want to get this thing out of my arm? 'Cause that would be swell."

"Let me help." Jaune looked up to see Pyrrha reappearing from the woods, her Assault buddy close behind. She quickly approached her mentor and wasted no time before bending down to examine the wound.

"Does it hurt?"

Desperado shook his head, "Not yet. But I bet I'll feel like shit once the adrenaline wears off."

"Good. We can give you a dose from Five-Six's medkit as an intermediary measure before Dr. Vahlen has a look at you. Brace yourself."

Before Desperado had a chance to protest, Pyrrha pinned his arm down with her boot and firmly gripped the Nevermore feather with both hands. With little effort, Pyrrha managed to snap off most of the exposed quill, but the Infantryman yelped as the foreign object aggravated his muscles for a second time. Even though his discipline allowed him to keep his wounded arm immobile (which Pyrrha appreciated), he swore like a sailor, beat the ground with his free hand, and thrashed his legs violently in response to the pain. In an instant, MacAuley joined Pyrrha with his medkit at the ready. With a hiss, the nanosuture aerosol blanketed the wound site, and Desperado let out a sigh of relief.

"This payback for all the drills I put you through?" He asked Pyrrha with a smirk.

"Do you mean the part where I answered your call for help, or the part where I wisely left the feather embedded in your arm until Vahlen can have a proper look at it?" She answered sweetly.

Desperado laughed and let Pyrrha pull him to his feet, "Fine, fine. Thanks for the assist, kid."

Beagle cleared his throat, "This is all very adorable, but we've got bigger issues to worry about. Namely, finishing this mission and figuring out what the fuck happened with those two shitbirds."

"Yeah, the sooner we can get back to base, the better," Jaune agreed, "The implications of the Grimm here are starting to freak me out."

The team took some time to catch their breath and perform a weapons and equipment check, then prepared themselves for the assault on the Harvester. Whatever they found inside, Jaune hoped that answers would be among them.


	27. Ready For Anything

The Harvester looked cold, quiet, and uninviting from the outside. As Strike Five approached the rear entrance, Jaune got the sneaking feeling that _something_ within the alien hull was tracking their every step and listening to their every word. If ghosts existed, and Jaune certainly didn't believe in ghosts, he'd pick this UFO as a prime haunting ground for poltergeists. He tightened his grip on Crocea Mors and glanced over at Pyrrha to gauge her reaction to their surroundings. His partner looked stoic as always, ready to face any challenge without a trace of fear marring her expression.

Beagle slowed the squad's advance to assess the tactical situation at the Harvester's gangplank and determine the safest squad formation to proceed into the downed ship. After reviewing some video logs of the Captain's previous operations for research purposes, Jaune realized that this could take a very long time. He decided to make the most of this lull in activity to talk with Pyrrha.

"Hey…" Jaune said, trepidation in his voice.

Pyrrha looked over at him, "Hmm?"

"What's your take on those Nevermores? I feel like we should talk about this before we're bombarded with questions by Bradford and the rest of our friends."

His partner looked thoughtful for a minute, and it occurred to Jaune that perhaps Pyrrha planned to wait until after the fight to think about XCOM's latest crisis. He didn't know if she'd be distracted by the problem now that he forced her to consider it, and wondered if he should apologize and tell her to forget about it. Before he could over think the situation further, she looked up at him and shrugged.

"I can't say for certain. Obviously they're bad news, especially because we have no idea how they got here from Remnant. Maybe we'll get lucky, and they were the result of some extreme, unfortunate, coincidence? The idea that someone or something is willfully sending them across raises two concerns. First, how do they know we're here? As far as I'm aware, Ozpin is the only one on Remnant who knows about Earth, and there's no way he would do this. Second, how could they be sent across? The only method we know of to move between worlds is the Hyperwave Relay, and that's sitting at XCOM HQ."

She examined Miló while she spoke, using the sash on her hip to clean off any dirt or grime that she saw. Jaune knew that she usually did this when something agitated her, and he once again wondered if he made a mistake in bringing up the topic. Pyrrha had more to say, though.

"We really don't have much of anything to go on yet. All we know is that we saw a pair of Grimm burst through the roof of this UFO. Any conclusions we draw from that would purely be conjecture, and I don't think it would be prudent if we started making guesses so soon. Hopefully we find answers during our investigation of the Harvester, or even clues that can lead us to a proper hypothesis. Failing that, we can at least be on guard for the possibility of encountering more Grimm here and on any other op in the future."

"Alright, gladiators," Beagle called out to the hunters through the comms, "You're on point."

Jaune rolled his eyes, "He could've gone with that plan from the beginning. C'mon, let's move."

The duo shelved their Grimm conversation for later and cautiously spearheaded Strike Five's formation as the squad began its sweep of the alien craft. Jaune and Pyrrha took the high ground of the middle walkway while the rest of the squad carefully picked their way along the parallel rooms below. Everything so far pointed to a normal Harvester. Flight computers and stasis tanks littered the first two rooms, as they usually did, and Jaune saw no signs of abnormal equipment. Even the rest of the squad, given all the extra months of experience they had over Jaune and Pyrrha, found nothing out of the ordinary. Except for the complete lack of aliens, of course.

Jaune tightened his grip on Crocea Mors. The last 'ghost op' he heard about from his friends resulted in Blake getting impaled on a Chryssalid's talon. While the idea of piloting a MEC sounded totally awesome to Jaune, he did not cherish the thought of giving up his limbs for the chance to do so.

"Jaune, look." Pyrrha pointed ahead of them, and Jaune saw ripped and sparking power lines hanging down from the ceiling. Several rays of light filtered through, illuminating the smoldering ashes and debris lazily floating through the air.

"That must be where the Nevermores broke out of the ship." Pyrrha whispered, "If we find any kind of answer to what happened here, that's probably our best bet."

Shields at the ready, Jaune and Pyrrha took their last few steps to reach the ship's large main chamber. The sight that greeted them was one of absolute destruction. Dead sectoids lay slumped in the corners while wrecked hardware lay burning and broken across the room's expanse. Claw marks marred every wall, evidence of the Nevermore's sheer strength, whether it's big or small. After the hunters carefully listened for signs of an ambush, Pyrrha gave the rest of the squad an 'all clear' signal.

"Bloody hell." Beagle said, awestruck by the carnage. While the rest of the team fanned out, either to do their own investigating or to set up a defensive perimeter, the Captain picked his way down to the lower deck for a closer look at the main wreckage. A squelching sound reached his ears, and he made a face when he realized he stepped into some fluid leaking from one of the stasis tanks. When he lifted his foot, tarry black matter clung to his sole like some oversized piece of disgusting gum.

He tried shaking his boot free of the tacky substance, "The fuck is this? Did those birds decide to take a shit before flying out the roof?"

Pyrrha landed gracefully next to him and knelt down to examine the material, "I'm not sure. Grimm evaporate into nothingness once slain, so we have no real way of examining their biomass. Even if we capture one and try to cut off samples for study, the separated piece lasts for little more than a few seconds."

She dabbed a gloved finger into the tar and rolled the sticky residue between her fingers. The matter thickened while she rolled it, but oozed off of her finger the moment she stopped.

"I've never seen anything like it," She admitted, "Though if you hold still for a few seconds, sir, it'll probably come off on its own."

While Pyrrha was helping the Captain, Jaune investigated the Sectoids. While several had slash marks indicative of Nevermore attacks, several possessed far more grotesque injuries. Punctured eyes, eviscerated chest cavities… one unfortunate alien had the upper half of its head blown off, though Jaune didn't see the expected gore and brain matter splattering the wall behind it.

"Hey," He called out, "One of these guys is a Commander." Jaune looked over at Beagle and flashed a grin, "So maybe all the aliens really are dead."

"Yeah, well… I'd rather deal with those little shits than whatever can of worms we just saw open up half an hour ago." Beagle said as he tried to coax the black tar off of his boots.

"Just trying to be positive is all."

Ortega's voice came through the comm, "Yo, boss. I got something for ya."

"It better be good news, because I swear if it isn't…"

The Sniper's face appeared above the hole in the roof, and he waved something in his hand, "I think you'll like this. Catch!"

Ortega chucked the small object, and laughed as Beagle unceremoniously tried and failed to grab it out of the air. With a small measure of embarrassment, the Captain bent over and picked up the white, bone-like projectile thrown at him.

"… I'm guessing this is from the Nevermore?"

"I think so." Ortega answered, "Probably got chipped off after Vulcan's opening 'fuck you' to the Grimm. Found it while I was poking around up here. Didn't find anything else, unfortunately."

Beagle flipped the bone over in his hands a few times before casting a raised eyebrow at Pyrrha, "Thought you said these guys evaporate."

"I did." Pyrrha confirmed, apprehension in her voice, "Which is why I'm just as confused by this as you. None of what's happening here is making any sense. Those were definitely creatures of Grimm, that much I know. And yet the more we learn from this place, the more questions I have about the Nevermore. At least we'll have things to bring back for Vahlen to look at."

Ortega's voice over the comms interrupted them once more, "Hey boss… you're not going to like this. I'm seeing contacts approaching from the tree line."

"Oh, you're shitting me…" Beagle grappled to the roof to join Ortega. The Sniper pointed to the south, where multiple quadrupeds raced towards the Harvester. While they varied in size, they were all black as night with skull-white heads and beady red eyes.

" _What is this?_ " The Captain shouted at nobody in particular, "What… what the _fuck_ is this?!"

In an instant, Pyrrha appeared at his side and scanned the approaching forces.

"Nine Beowolves, four Boarbatusks, and two Ursa Major." She counted, "Ursas will be the biggest issue. Still, nothing we can't handle."

Beagle keyed his comm, "Fives! I want a defensive line at the UFO's rear. Vulcan and 3-13 are up on the roof with me taking potshots while our resident hunters will be doing most of the heavy lifting. Watch and learn how to fight these bastards, 'cause I'm guessing we'll be seeing more of them in the future."

"Perimeter's already set." Jaune answered over the line, "I had everyone haul ass the moment '13 mentioned bad news."

"Good man. Now let's show these little shits why you don't fuck with XCOM."

Jaune waited at the mouth of the Harvester for Pyrrha to jump down and join him. Side by side, they stared at the oncoming horde as it rapidly approached.

"How do you want to play this, Pyr?"

"Well, it's safer if we don't rely on support from the squad. Then we'll be pleasantly surprised when they make things easier, but prepared for the worst if they're unable to help. Do you want to handle the big ones or the little ones?"

"I won't lie, not a fan of the big guys. Think you can handle them while I keep the wolves off your back?"

Pyrrha assumed a defensive posture, shield up and xiphos ready, "Just make sure you _do_ keep the wolves off my back."

Jaune matched Pyrrha's stance and cast an offended look her way, "What's that supposed to mean? I won't let them put a single claw on you."

Pyrrha smiled at her partner, "I know. Now let's do this!"

Before the hunters could close the gap and engage the Grimm, a rocket streaked overhead and crashed into the middle of the pack. Concussive force and shrapnel sent the smaller creatures sprawling while the extreme mass of the Ursa let them charge through the explosion and barrel onward towards their prey. A high-density slug shot from Vulcan's particle cannon cracked the skull plating of one juggernaut, forcing it to halt its charge to recover from the shock.

"Take that, you pricks!" Jaune heard Beagle shout, "Vulcan, keep plugging the big ones. That armored plating looks a little too tough for anything less than MEC-class ordnance."

" _Understood. Calculating firing solutions for the Ursa-class Grimm._ "

Pyrrha and Jaune immediately jumped on the opportunity opened up by their allies. They sidestepped the still-charging Ursa, though Pyrrha took a swipe at the lead Grimm's paw to keep its attention on her and off the Strike Five defensive line. Jaune easily dispatched two of the Boarbatusks, as the rocket's explosion threw them to their backs and left their weak undersides exposed. He drove Crocea Mors into the first and then slashed the second before its partner finished it's death squeal.

His first task complete, Jaune stepped back to reassess the situation. Pyrrha spent their opening advantage landing as many blows as she could on the stunned Ursa while the second turned around to assault her. Once the surviving 'lesser' Grimm began to recover, the Boarbatusks took an interest in the UFO and the Beowolves chose to close in on the huntress killing their ally. Jaune raised his shield and charged the lead Beowolf. He threw his weight hard into the impact and caused the Grimm to tumble into the path of the others. Jaune faced the pack and grinned.

"You mutts have to get through me first."

As the Beowolves advanced, Jaune once again heard Beagle giving orders to the squad, "Alright, we've got incoming. Seven was able to kill the boars with a few swipes to their bellies. Flip 'em over with explosives, then unload on them when they're exposed. Dust rounds if you've got 'em."

Jaune sized up the Beowolves while they snarled and snapped their teeth menacingly. Not one to let the Grimm have the first move, Jaune shot forward, sword arm raised. A claw to his exposed shoulder threw him to the dirt with a pained cry.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha exclaimed, risking a moment to glance at her partner, "Are you okay?"

Jaune groaned, "Yeah. Just re-learning literally the first lesson you gave me up on the roof. The hard way."

He rolled to his feet before the Beowolves could capitalize on his downed state. Shield up again, but sword held back this time to avoid overextending his reach, Jaune squared off for round two. He heard the bangs, slashes, and grunts of Pyrrha's two-on-one battle behind him as the first three Grimm pounced. Jaune ducked under the lead wolf, used his shield to deflect the second, and pierced the third cleanly through the chest with his blade. Without hesitating, he ripped it out with a spin and used his momentum to slice the Grimm in half. Before he could worry about whether he should focus on the two closest to Pyrrha or the remaining six, a resounding _crack_ echoed from the ship and a bullet kneecapped one of the two 'problematic' Beowolves.

"I've got your back, buddy." Ortega said over the comm, "Focus on the larger threat."

Jaune nodded in the Sniper's direction before turning to face the remainder of the wolf pack. He charged forward again, his confidence restored by the previous exchanging of blows. He slammed his shield into the closest Beowolf, using the extra space to strike at its partner before shoving a boot into the chest of one trying to sneak in an attack behind him. He backed off momentarily to avoid getting outmaneuvered before diving back in and trying to eliminate another target.

Before long, Jaune fell into a rhythm. Block, strike, evade, repeat, with an occasional mix-up to keep the Grimm from predicting his next move. Whenever he had a moment, Jaune checked on Pyrrha's progress. He realized that he made the right choice when Pyrrha asked which foe he'd rather fight, because the Ursa seemed to be giving her a lot of trouble. Even though Vulcan helped by taking shots against the oversized bears, his attacks merely managed to crack their armor rather than puncture their flesh. While Jaune knew the Ursa back on Remnant possessed impressive vitality, something about these put them on a different level altogether.

The pair of Remnant hunters continued their bladed dance while the roof operatives tried to support them as best they could. Ortega enjoyed better luck, since the Beowolves possessed considerably less plating than the Ursa. Whenever one of Jaune's enemies managed to slip past him, the Sniper had a Dust round ready for the sneaky Grimm. He'd cripple the creature with his shot and leave Jaune to finish it off. Before long, Jaune whittled the Beowolf pack down to one last target.

As he plunged Crocea Mors into Grimm flesh one last time, Jaune heard the deep cry of an Ursa behind him. He turned around to see the evaporating remains of one Ursa, indicating that Pyrrha managed to finally bring it down. She squared off against her second target, weapons at the ready and a look of determination firmly set on her face. The Ursa roared and charged at Pyrrha, and Jaune watched in awe as his partner gracefully flipped over the Grimm's back. Faster than his eyes could follow, she shifted her weapon into a rifle and fired a few shots into the Ursa's slightly-exposed rear. She returned Miló back to its xiphos form before her feet even touched the dirt.

The bear turned to face the huntress, only to be met with Akoúo̱ slamming into its head. Pyrrha capitalized on her brief distraction by following up with a slash to the Grimm's throat. She saw the Ursa raise a claw to counterattack, so she magnetically pulled her shield back to her forearm and parried the blow. As Jaune continued to watch his partner move with lightning speed and experienced precision, his heart sank slightly. While he knew that he should be proud of Pyrrha and happy to have such a skilled mentor, it only reminded him of just how huge the skill gap was between them.

 _That's quitter talk, and you know it. Fall into that mindset again, and you'll be just like you were before._

"Right." Jaune said to himself, and he gripped his weapons before dashing to assist his partner.

Pyrrha glanced at him, nodded, and leapt back to let Jaune draw the Ursa's attention. Jaune waved his sword in what he hoped was a menacing manner at their target, "Hey! Yeah you! You want a piece of this? Huh?!"

Jaune grabbed a stone from the ground and chucked it at the Grimm's head. The Ursa didn't even flinch before unleashing an ear-shattering roar in response.

Beagle's voice came through the comm, "So, uh… how about you _don't_ taunt the really fucking huge bear?"

Jaune ignored him and ran at the Ursa. Predictably, it tried to swipe him with its heavy claw, but Jaune had his shield ready. He felt the bones in his arm shudder in protest as they absorbed the shock of the blow, but he remained otherwise unharmed. With as much strength as he could muster, Jaune shoved off the gargantuan paw and followed up with a quick swing of his sword. The cut did little more than nick the Ursa's flank, but he now had the monster's full and undivided attention.

The Ursa's newfound rage forced Jaune to remain on the defensive. The hunter gritted his teeth as his shield absorbed a headbutt and an onslaught of slashes and bites from the Grimm. He felt his strength begin to flag under the bear's constant assault, but he steeled himself to continue fending off the blows for as long as possible.

Thankfully, Pyrrha didn't need him to keep the Ursa distracted for much longer. The Grimm let out a howl, and Jaune peeked over the edge of his shield to see Pyrrha standing atop their foe's back, spear driven deep into its neck. She twisted the blade with a heavy grunt, and the Ursa reared onto its hind legs in an attempt to buck its killer. Pyrrha leapt off of the Ursa's back and delivered a hard kick to the base of her spear. With a sickening squelch, Jaune saw Miló's tip explode through the front of the Grimm's throat. The monster let out a pathetic gurgle before falling to the ground with a shudder. After its body dissolved, Pyrrha yanked her spear from the dirt and returned it to its sword form.

As their adrenaline rush died down, the two hunters locked eyes. In that moment, Jaune saw a year's worth of pride and satisfaction in Pyrrha's expression. Her look made Jaune think that maybe he'd become a true hunter after all. Their brief minute of camaraderie was interrupted by Beagle commenting as he walked up behind them, "Holy shit, if that's the kind of stuff you guys pull on a regular basis back home… teach me."

The rest of the team came to a halt behind their Captain, and MacAuley sighed loudly, "No offense, boss… but could we do that _after_ we're back at base? I don't know about you, but the shit I've seen today merits at least three pints of Guinness. Maybe even four."

Beagle rolled his eyes, "Yeah, okay. Let's collect those samples for Vahlen and then call it in. I'm sure Bradford is dying to debrief us on this." He sighed and shook his head, "The paperwork's gonna suck."

* * *

"You fought Grimm?!"

Jaune smiled at the hint of disappointment in Nora's tone as the excited huntress greeted them in the hangar, "Yes, Nora. We fought Grimm. Pyrrha got to kill some Ursa."

"Aww man. Why do you guys always get to have all the fun?" She complained. Beagle laughed as he disembarked from the Skyranger behind Jaune and Pyrrha.

"Shit, we should just figure out how to make copies Sergeant Valkyrie over here and field a squad of her against those tarry fucks." He gave the exuberant huntress a wary look, "So you actually enjoy fighting those things?"

"Yep!"

"And they don't scare the hell out of you?"

"Nope!"

The Captain nodded, "Right, I'll make a note of bringing up the idea of investigating cloning technology during our debrief with the boss man." He turned to Jaune and Pyrrha, "Seven? Eight? Let's go."

Nora eagerly followed Strike Five, clearly not satisfied with her brief interrogation. She continued to bombard her friends with questions, which they answered with vague comments. After a quick hike to Mission Control, they found Bradford waiting along with Ren, RWBY, Vahlen, Shen, and the rest of the Strike Leaders. Bradford approached Beagle, offered a firm handshake, and began.

"Welcome back, Captain. While I'm happy to receive a report of no casualties on your op, it's the rest of the events that concerns me."

"You and me both, sir. I'm guessing our friends gave you some details on Grimm way back when you first debriefed them, but this was my first time hearing about these hellspawn. So if you don't mind my asking, what the _fuck_ did my team walk into?"

Bradford glanced at Ruby, "A very good question. Admittedly, I only know the basics about the Grimm, since neither the Lieutenant nor I felt that a detailed explanation was necessary. After recent events, however, that sentiment has obviously changed. Miss Rose?"

Ruby glanced at Pyrrha, "You want to do the honors?"

Pyrrha nodded, cleared her throat and began her address to the group, "In the world of Remnant, humans live in four kingdoms scattered across the continents. The rest of the world is, to our knowledge, occupied by the creatures of Grimm. We don't know where they came from, we don't know how they continue to repopulate, and we don't know what their purpose is. What we do know is this: Grimm will kill humans whenever given the chance."

Van Doorn hummed thoughtfully, "So a common enemy for the kingdoms, then?"

Pyrrha nodded, "Yes, sir. However, they weren't always enough of a motivating factor for the four kingdoms to remain allies. We've had… wars in the past. Bloody ones."

Zhang shrugged, "Violence is in mankind's very nature, Nikos. I would be more surprised if these kingdoms you speak of _didn't_ wage war against each other from time to time."

"True enough," Pyrrha admitted, "Getting back to the point, in order to combat the ever-present threat of the Grimm, the four nations began to train a special kind of warrior: Hunters." She gestured to RWBY and JNPR, "We're students at one such academy that produces hunters. Using the power of Aura, our weapons training, and teamwork, we push back against the darkness of Grimm to keep our nations safe."

"So you're basically Special Forces?" Asked Strike Three's Captain O'Connery, "What about general military? Wouldn't that be enough to rout the Grimm? Could you nuke them from orbit or something?"

Weiss stepped in to help Pyrrha with the new string of questions, "My home nation of Atlas has an impressive military. I would go so far as to say it's the greatest among the four kingdoms. Even with our impressive might, however, we learned very quickly not to push too far beyond the edge of our borders. The Grimm closest to human territory are young, weak, and frequently culled. The deeper you venture into Grimm territory, however… they become stronger, deadlier, and more numerous. Thus, we realized our military was most useful in dealing with border threats and internal security issues rather than expeditionary ventures.

"As for nuking from orbit," Weiss continued, "We've never had the need for space technology, as more important and immediate concerns always seem to present themselves. Even simple air superiority isn't a foolproof option. While we do have military aircraft and troop transports… well, I'm sure Captain Beagle can tell you what the Grimm have."

"Bloody evil birds of death that make Heavy Floaters feel like a fucking picnic, that's what." The Captain grumbled.

Bradford refocused the conversation, "So now that we have a better idea of what the Grimm are, let's try to discuss how they got here, and what this could mean for Earth."

"That's the problem." Pyrrha pointed out, "We don't know how they got here. If they've never been on Earth before-"

"Which they definitely haven't." Vahlen supplied.

"… then it stands to reason that their arrival right after ours can't be a coincidence, as we both came from the same place. Did the aliens bring them over? Or can teleportation anomalies occur randomly?"

Dr. Shen cleared his throat, "After hearing about the strange events of your operation, Dr. Vahlen and I sent several members of our respective teams to join the usual salvage crews. In addition to finding a great deal more of that black substance Captain Beagle returned with, they recovered several strange devices that we don't recognize. I must admit I am surprised that we found nothing onboard that Harvester that resembled our Hyperwave Relay, as that would have been the surest sign that the aliens were attempting to bring over Grimm as auxiliary soldiers. However, these other devices merit study, and I'm hoping they'll reveal some answers in due time."

"And there are other issues." Vahlen added, "Such as why the aliens seemed to be inadequately equipped to restrain the Grimm. Surely they would have observed the creatures they intended to capture, developed proper protocol to contain their targets, and then run tests on their new subjects in a controlled environment. Beyond that, though, is the question of this black material." The Chief Scientist turned to Pyrrha, "I believe in the mission logs, you told the Captain that these Grimm always evaporate upon death, yes?"

Pyrrha nodded, "Correct. If the black tar is really from the Grimm, then they have somehow changed in a way that causes them to leave behind material remains. Their bodies still evaporate to some degree, but the process no longer consumes the entire corpse."

Jaune raised his hand, "They're tougher, too. Pyrrha and I had to coordinate to bring down two Ursa, and that was with heavy fire support from a Jaeger. Pyrrha alone should've been able to handle at least three without a problem."

"So you're telling us that they're mutated variants of your Grimm that are stronger, leave behind bodily remains, _and_ we don't know where they're coming from?" Anette asked, "Please tell me that it can't get any worse."

Beagle glared at his fellow Captain, "You know what happens when you say shit like that, right?"

"It gets worse." Blake said.

"Fucking called it."

"How?" Bradford asked.

"If we're lucky, this is an isolated incident. If we're not lucky, then somehow the aliens have found a way to bring over Grimm. But if we're _really_ unlucky, then Grimm essence has infected the Earth much in the same way that it infects Remnant. And since we haven't figured out how to 'cure' our world of the Grimm, we have no way of even knowing if the same is happening to yours." Blake stared unblinkingly at Bradford, "There is also one thing we haven't mentioned about the Grimm yet."

The Central Officer saw all the other hunters stiffen when they realized what Blake was getting at. He sighed, "Might as well give us the bad news."

"Grimm are heavily drawn towards the human emotion of fear." Blake stated.

Even Nora looked glum, "And since the aliens are doing an excellent job of stirring up fear across the globe…"

"Are you kidding me?" Beagle asked incredulously, "They can _smell fear_?"

Bradford sighed, "Well, shit. I was hoping for a happier moment to give you guys some good news, but I suppose I'll just have to make do with what I've got."

The hunters and the Strike leaders looked at him curiously. Jaune was the only one to notice Zhang's smile.

"… Sir?" Van Doorn asked.

Bradford looked at Ruby, "Lieutenant, do you remember that 'care package' your headmaster so graciously sent us?"

Ruby nodded, still confused, "Yes sir. With all the delicious food from across Remnant."

"And ammo!" Nora exclaimed, "Lots and lots of ammo!"

"It was a nice morale boost." Pyrrha noted, "A little slice of home while we're over here fighting."

In spite of the heavy news he received moments ago, a smile began to spread across Bradford's face, "Well, there was a second part of the care package, one that Ozpin specifically addressed to Vahlen. I admit that I was confused when we first received it, especially because Ozpin was very clear about not telling you of it's existence. But after the good doctor began to investigate… well, I think it may be a silver lining in this very dark storm cloud we've got brewing. Doctor?"

Vahlen checked her tablet, then nodded, "Boot-up diagnostics finished about a minute ago. She's on her way."

"Boot-up diagnostics?"

"She?"

The Remnant operatives didn't remain confused for long, as the sound of Elerium thrusters reached their ears. They all turned to see the source of the noise, and were greeted with the sight of a standard XCOM hover SHIV. At least, the weapon loadout looked standard. The paint job, on the other hand…

"Green and black?" Ruby asked, "But that's-"

"The paint was my idea." Shen interrupted with a chuckle, "Vahlen found some video logs in the system memory, and there was a mirror in one of the files. Thought it would help with the re-acclimation process."

Yang squinted her eyes at the robot, "So what you're saying is…"

" _Salutations, Ruby!_ " Penny exclaimed, " _Operative Polendina reporting for duty. I'm combat ready!_ "

* * *

A/N: Ya'll thought I forgot about PennySHIV, didn't you?


	28. Esprit de Corps

A/N: Just a heads up, each scene break marks a small passage of time. My editor felt that this wasn't clear, so I figured I'd let you guys know beforehand to avoid any confusion.

* * *

"P-Penny?!" Ruby sputtered.

" _That's me!_ " Penny replied cheerfully, " _I am delighted to see you safe and sound, friend!_ "

Yang almost choked, "But- what- I- how?"

" _Oh, it's simple, really. Your headmaster asked my father if he could borrow me. Naturally, my father disagreed._ "

When Penny failed to continue with her explanation, Weiss coughed politely, "… There's more to the story, I assume…"

" _Of course! Headmaster Ozpin reminded my father of a few owed favors, so father agreed to send him a backed-up copy of my programming. This suited Ozpin just fine, and he loaded me into a hardware platform to explain his plan before returning me to the storage drive for transfer: While I'm here helping you on Earth fighting aliens and gaining combat experience, the original Penny remains safe and sound on Remnant. If I am able to return, I can sync my memories with my progenitor, thereby granting her combat experience without exposing herself into unnecessary danger! Next time I regained consciousness was in Dr. Vahlen's lab!_ " PennySHIV rotated her frame to 'face' Weiss, " _Dr. Vahlen is a really nice lady. I am glad that you are friends with her._ "

Despite the absurdity of the situation, Weiss couldn't help but smirk at the embarrassed glance Vahlen threw at Penny.

Bradford coughed, "Right, so the short and long of it is that, in the absence of a hunter team, your Ozpin still wanted to send some sort of combat support. His solution, Vahlen and I found out, was to send us a fully-functioning AI. He told us to keep it a secret from you, and now I can see why."

" _Due to the fact that I am not equipped with my synthetic body, I do not have the ability to generate Aura or fight with my preferred armaments._ " Penny pointed out, " _However, in the time that I have been active on this Super Heavy Infantry Vehicle, I have managed to improve its operational efficiency by seven point two-three percent._ "

"So that's what SHIV means…" Ruby whispered.

" _I believe with proper calibrations and subsequent combat trials, I can further maximize this platform's weapon efficiency! If it's not too much trouble, friend, could I possibly join your team? A search of XCOM's data files Vahlen kindly loaded into my memory states that standard protocol mandates a maximum squad size of eight, but precedence has been made for exceptions._ " Before anyone could even answer, she added, " _There's lots of interesting files in this database, by the way. The logs of how the doctor interrogated the Heavy Floater are especially interesting!_ "

Bradford raised an eye at Vahlen, "Doctor…"

The Chief Scientist struggled momentarily to form words, "She… what… it.. I have _no_ idea what she's talking about."

" _Oh, don't be so modest._ " Penny said cheerfully, " _I thought the idea of capitalizing on the alien's mechanical circuitry was brilliant. However, I do believe I could be of service in fine-tuning your methods should you need to repeat the interrogation in the future._ "

"Hah," Beagle laughed, "Doc got smoked by a fuckin' robot."

" _I'm sorry, but I do not understand that word. Could you tell me what fuckin'-?_ "

"Cover your ears Penny!" Ruby exclaimed, launching herself at the SHIV and uselessly clamping her hands over the side's of its 'head.' Beagle burst into tears, and several of the other officers failed to suppress their own laughter.

Colonel Zhang rolled his eyes, "This is almost as bad as the time your American space administration made the Curiosity rover draw a dick pic with it's tire treads after it landed on Mars."

" _I'm sorry, but I do not understand that word. Could you tell me what dick-?_ "

"Zhang!" Ruby wailed, "You aren't helping!"

* * *

"Alright, Penny, are you ready?"

" _Absolutely!_ "

"Your rapid reactions, extreme precision, and situational awareness are going to be critical to the success of this operation, and we've only got one shot at it."

" _All systems are functional. Ready to begin when you are, Tech Sergeant Arc._ "

"Let's move!"

Jaune raced forward, quickly scanning the field as he ran. No contacts yet, but he knew that luxury would be short lived. His target was the bomb site. He knew it, his allies knew it, and worst of all, his enemies knew it. With Penny as his ever-vigilant sentinel, the operative ran from cover to cover on his way to the target, designated as Point A by his squad leader.

" _Contact four o'clock!_ "

Jaune snapped to face the target, unloading his ammunition even before he could properly aim. With Penny's ability to compensate for his recoil and provide small targeting corrections, he knew that he could afford to cut corners. Indeed, the contact dropped a fraction of a second later after Penny's auto-assist helped Jaune nail it with a few clean headshots. He didn't wait for the body to drop before moving on.

" _More targets dead ahead!_ "

"Dead is right." Jaune muttered, revving up his weapon once more. His foes fell out of the windows they were camping in an effort to halt his approach.

"Keep moving, Four," Jaune heard MacAuley through his comm, "We've got your rear covered."

Jaune took a moment to reload his weapon (with Penny on watch, of course) before resuming his race to the ticking target that would spell doom for his team if he failed to reach it in time.

" _I'm detecting another contact reloading behind the crates to your ten o'clock._ "

Jaune primed a grenade and tossed it. The explosive bounced off of a wood panel and landed perfectly on target. He didn't bother to wait for the explosion to kill his enemy before pressing onward. He rounded a corner and saw his objective.

"Bomb has been located," Jaune confirmed to the squad, "Moving in to disarm."

He carefully approached the site, his previous efficiency allowing him the luxury of caution for the final stretch. Finally, he stood in front of the bomb, its timer ticking down with every passing second. In the distance he picked up the sound of gunfire. MacAuley's colorful cursing came through the comms.

"Fucker's got a hard angle on us, Four. If you don't hurry up and pull the plug over there, we're done for!"

"I hear you, Five. Disarming the bomb…" Jaune pressed 'e' and watched the progress bar fill, "… now."

Jaune smiled in satisfaction as he heard, "The bomb has been defused. Counter-terrorists win."

He heard Desperado throw his headset down across the room, "Okay, so we've established that aimbotting is still a bullshit tactic. Fantastic. Now can we _please_ get back to playing Counter Strike on a fair playing field?"

Pyrrha laughed, "Oh, don't be a spoilsport. We're testing Penny's operational capabilities to their fullest extent, and that includes software efficiency. I thought Jaune's idea to use these games as a metric was a grand idea." She gave Jaune a light punch on the shoulder and flashed him a smile, "I can see how you find these entertaining. I've been the first to die for the last five rounds, and I'm still having a good time!"

"Speak for yourself." Weiss grumbled, "Why does Jaune get to have Penny, anyway? She's friends with team RWBY."

" _Establishing new friendships is important for any aspiring huntress._ " Penny chirped, " _Jaune is a very nice young man, and Pyrrha is extremely fortunate to have him as a mate._ "

Dead silence ensued as everyone waited to see the two hunters in question react. Pyrrha visibly tensed and stared dead ahead at her screen while Jaune quietly banged his head against the table. The XCOM operatives in the lounge began to quietly snicker.

" _Did I say something wrong?_ " Penny asked in a worried tone.

Yang grinned, "On the contrary, your statement could not have been more perfect."

" _Then why has Tech Sergeant Arc stopped breathing?_ "

"Probably in the hopes that blacking out will provide him with sweet release from his embarrassment." Blake commented. She and her partner didn't partake in their friends' game of Counter Strike, citing a lack of sufficient motor control capabilities offered by their 'civilian' prosthetics. Since she was pretty sure Vahlen could jury-rig some interfacing hardware for the pair, Blake believed that Yang just wanted to drink and heckle their friends while they played.

" _Oh! I am truly sorry, Jaune. I assumed that the mutual feelings you share with Tech Sergeant Nikos are common knowledge._ "

"Aaaaaaaand since I don't want to have one of our hunters hospitalized on account of a heart attack," Bradford interrupted, "I'm going to propose a new test for XCOM's latest recruit." He glanced at Desperado, "And her aimbotting skills will not have any effect on the outcome. In fact, rapid reactions are not involved in any way, so even operatives Belladonna and Xiao Long can assist in the performance test."

Yang let out a loud sigh, "But it's so much more fun to just watch and judge…"

"What is the new test?" Pyrrha asked, extremely interested in changing subjects.

"It will analyze Penny's cognitive capabilities and skill at discerning the proper course of action from hundreds or thousands of possibilities."

Zhang, previously engaged in drinking with Yang, suddenly became interested, "Chess?"

Bradford shook his head, "No. Something far more complex and far more likely to push Penny's processing units to their limit."

He glanced around the room at all the intrigued faces and flashed a grin, "Civilization V. Twenty players. Military Victory only."

Ruby blinked, "Is that another video game?"

"No." Bradford answered, shaking his head, "Not just another video game. Only _the greatest video game of all time._ "

Dr. Shen cleared his throat, "You do realize we'll have won the war by the time the game is finished, don't you?"

Bradford raised an eyebrow at his friend, "Is that a challenge I hear? Because I will be one of the players engaged in this stress test. You may think you know just about everything there is to know about me, Shen, but you've _never_ seen me play Civ."

The Chief Engineer sighed, realizing that he would not be winning this debate, "So who's running Mission Control while you're down here?"

"Sounds like you just volunteered for the job, my friend." Bradford said, giving Shen a pat on the shoulder. Shen made a noise in protest before slumping his shoulders and rolling his eyes. As he walked off towards the anthill's information hub, he said over his shoulder, "I'll let you know if any crises come up."

* * *

Ruby looked around the room with mild apprehension. Eight other operatives stared back at her, with a smiling Captain Anette Durand chief among them. She also recognized 'Duke' as the Engineer from her mission with Zhang, but didn't know the others beyond what squads they were assigned to.

"Oh, stop it with the long face!" Anette teased, "You look like you're facing a firing squad."

Ruby shifted uncomfortably, "I'm just nervous is all. The last time someone poked around in my brain… well… you were there."

The Captain waved her off, "And you think your friends are going to be as rough with you as some alien? Please, I hope you hold us in higher regard than that." She put a comforting hand on Ruby's shoulder, "Don't forget that the only reason Vahlen is willing to investigate the possibility of further unlocking your psionic potential is because the Ethereals forced our hand. If she's worried about danger, than so am I. While I may seem cavalier about all of this, just remember that I will be taking every precaution I can to get you through it safely and help you stabilize your gift."

She gestured at the eight other psionicists behind her, "I know all of these operatives behind me on a personal level, and I can assure you they want you to succeed as much as I do. Well, _almost_ as much as I do." She finished with a wink.

With a deep breath, the young huntress nodded, "Alright. I guess I'll just let you know if something hurts, right?"

"Right." Anette agreed, "Until then, just relax. You might even have some fun!"

Ruby would have found her last comment to be playful, but the fact that Anette's eyes already started to glow purple before she finished speaking put an ominous spin on her words. The eight other psionic soldiers likewise began to tap into their mental energy, and Ruby watched as wispy strands of purple psychic power snaked out from their brains and connected themselves to Anette.

The Captain let out a happy sigh as the extra power flowed through her, "Mmmm, perfect. Alright, just maintain that while I have a look at Lieutenant Rose here…" A much smaller psionic strand slowly appeared from the Captain and meandered towards Ruby. She noticed that the psychic connection seemed to hesitate before finally securing the mental link. Almost immediately, Ruby's vision flashed, and she experienced the familiar sensation of seeing and hearing everything.

"Whoa…" Anette muttered, sounding almost dizzy, "So this is what it feels like, yes? I can see how it would be disorienting, but if you could learn how to use this information… _so many_ applications, and not just in combat." the strange look on Anette's face immediately told Ruby that she didn't want to know what the Captain meant by that, "How are you doing, Lieutenant?"

Ruby struggled to remain in control of her senses as she found herself inundated with far more information than any one person could hope to absorb, "I almost forgot how uncomfortable this feeling was. Haven't had an episode like this since Vahlen unlocked our Auras."

"Do you need a minute to acclimate to the sensation?" Anette asked, her voice sincere.

"No, keep going. I don't really want to drag this out longer than necessary."

"Alright, just don't be afraid to tap out of it gets really bad."

Little by little, Ruby watched the psionic strand connecting her to Anette grow thicker. As the Captain continued her 'work' (and Ruby had no idea what that entailed, to be perfectly honest), the hyper-awareness fluctuated in intensity. Sometimes, it flickered and softened to the point where Ruby didn't know if Anette had somehow managed to shut it down. Other times, it spiked so hard that Ruby would flinch from the pain. Each time, Anette asked if Ruby wanted to stop, and each time, Ruby said no.

Despite seemingly doing nothing, Ruby also noticed signs of strain on the other seven operatives. Beads of sweat rolling down their faces, expressions of concentration or mild pain, and tense postures all told Ruby that whatever link they made with Anette, the Captain was drawing heavily on it.

"So…" Ruby started, wishing to break up the boring monotony, "What exactly are you doing? Some kind of psychic surgery?"

"Of a sort, I suppose." Anette replied. Her voice still sounded cheerful, though Ruby could tell that her focus remained primarily inside their psychic connection.

"Ever done it before?"

Anette shook her head, and Ruby regretted asking the question, "Nope, but I've helped Vahlen with related research, so that's got to count for something."

Ruby raised an eyebrow, "How related?"

"Tangentially." Anette admitted, "But I think we're making pretty good progress here! Your mind is very interesting."

"Because _that_ doesn't sound creepy whatsoever. No, sir."

"Hey, you asked. Speaking of which, do you mind if I told Weiss what you think about-"

" _Absolutely not._ "

"-how much you respect her and hold her opinion in the highest regard?" Anette asked, eyebrow raised.

"Oh. Well, I guess that's okay…"

Anette laughed, "Anyway, we're almost done here. It's only a first attempt, so I don't know if the modifications will hold. But that's why we're going to pull you off active duty for a few days before we send you back in the field. Make sure there aren't any negative side effects." She glanced back at her psionic supporters, "You guys can disengage now. Fantastic job, everyone."

The operatives let out a collective sigh as their psychic tendrils evaporated and their eyes returned to their usual hues. A minute later, Anette cut the final connection between herself and Ruby. When the two women had a chance to catch their breath, Anette gave Ruby a curious look.

"So? How do you feel?"

"Well, my head's not splitting open, so at least you didn't make anything worse."

"Hah, don't tempt me to try. Seriously, though. How do you feel?"

For the first time, Ruby tried to focus on her surroundings. The lack of pain that usually came with the psychic bouts made her originally think that everything had returned back to normal, but Ruby realized that this wasn't exactly true. Her senses, while not omniscient, felt much sharper. She glanced at the uniform worn by one of Anette's associates, and her eyes instantly picked out ten different details, from the design of the insignia to the small rip at the right shoulder seam.

Ruby struggled to find words, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you gene-modded me with hyper-reactive pupils. Everything feels… focused. It's not just my eyes, though."

Anette smiled, "Then it sounds like I did what I was supposed to. The effects probably don't feel too drastic, but I saw more inside your mind. I held off on fiddling with several other aspects, partly because I had no idea if the easy stuff would even work. After you've taken time to rest, go on a few ops, fight some aliens or Grimm, and tell me how you feel. If you're willing to try more, we can meet up again after your field tests."

Ruby considered Anette's words. There was more stuff she could do with Ruby's psionic scarring? Sounds like the Ethereal _did_ have plans for her after all. Well, Anette seemed to be getting the hang of the whole mind surgery thing, so the offer to try and unlock more abilities certainly sounded appealing. So long as the Captain was careful with her methods, and Vahlen allowed them to use her Psionics Lab for monitoring, Ruby felt that she could entrust her safety to operative Durand.

"Sounds good. I'll let you know how well your little project performs under live fire. Thanks, Anette."

"I have faith in you." Anette said with a warm smile, "We all do. Your deliverance to us in our time of need was nothing short of a miracle. If I can pay you back in just this small way, I am more than happy to do so." Anette lightly punched Ruby's arm, "So get some rest. The sooner you're back out there knocking alien heads, the better."

Ruby gave Anette a salute and left the psi labs, her head buzzing with all the possible upgrades the Captain might find locked inside her brain.

* * *

With a sense of trepidation, Dr. Vahlen carefully stepped out onto the ice. A week had passed since Penny joined the team, and Weiss came up with the brilliant idea of the maintenance hangar into an ice skating rink with the help of her semblance and a judicious use of Dust. With no crises cropping up in Mission Control, Bradford made a point of requesting both Shen and Vahlen come with him to Weiss's little event.

Vahlen's skate slipped almost as soon as it touched the slick surface, and she flailed in a vain attempt to stay balanced. Before she could fall, however, the Central Officer caught her under the shoulders and helped Vahlen stay upright.

"Whoa there, Doctor! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Vahlen huffed, "Just… not used to this."

"Never gone ice skating before?" Dr. Shen asked as he slid to a stop in front of Bradford and Vahlen, "I find that a little hard to believe."

Vahlen frowned. It's not her fault that her parents valued her academics above any and all physical activities. It's not her fault that she never had any friends to go ice skating with. And it's _certainly_ not her fault that her impressive career as a scientist leaves little time for trivial activities like sliding around on a dangerously hard and slippery surface. But of course her colleagues wouldn't understand that. To them, it would be just another thing to tease her about.

"I… never had an interest." She said quietly.

Bradford squeezed her shoulder, "Cheer up. You're trying now, and that's what matters."

"How did Shen manage to acquire all these skates, anyway?" Vahlen grumbled.

Her friend laughed, "Oh please. My team can manufacture highly advanced plasma weaponry in a matter of days. Strapping blades onto a pair of shoes is trivial."

"Shen! Shennnnn! Come skate with meeeee!" The Chief Engineer looked up to see an exuberant Ruby collide with the wall behind him as she whizzed past. She looked completely unfazed while Shen lifted her back on her feet, a huge smile never leaving her face.

"This is so much fun! We never had icy weather back home, so this is my first chance to try!"

Vahlen grumbled something about beginner's luck before Ruby dragged Shen off to help her stay upright while racing around the makeshift rink. She glanced around at everyone else present. In addition to most of the hunters (Nora and Ren were noticeably absent), several of the operatives decided to participate in the festivities. She noticed a few pairs holding hands, and reminded herself that even though they faced a life-or-death situation with the invasion, strong emotional bonds could be forged between two people. Or maybe it was _because_ of the alien threat. Vahlen made a note to construct a few social experiments to understand more about the topic. Secretly, of course, as it would be awkward and uncomfortable to ask the soldiers and base personnel directly.

Understated romance wasn't the only thing Vahlen saw. She heard yelling as Colonel Zhang chased after Corporal MacAuley, a small wool beanie firmly gripped in the latter's hand. The Corporal threw the beanie high over Zhang's head, and the garment landed in the hands of one Jaune Arc, who evidently agreed to be MacAuley's accomplice in the Irishman's little prank.

"You're too slow, old man!" MacAuley laughed as he and Jaune deftly skated rings around the Colonel. Vahlen took comfort in the fact that at least one other person here lacked experience on the ice. Maybe after he managed to get his hat back from the pranksters, Vahlen could ask Zhang if he'd be willing to accompany her as she slowly worked her way around the rink.

She watched the two MEC'd huntresses step carefully onto the ice. However, instead of the familiar skates that everyone else wore onto the rink, the two of them had regular boots covering their mechanical feet. They each carried a large broom in their hands as they clumsily chased after a small rubber ball Yang dropped onto the ice. Vahlen remembered overhearing them talk about this 'Broomball' as an alternative to skating, and wondered if she would have had better luck joining them than getting roped into ice skating with her colleagues.

A cheer from onlookers shifted Vahlen's attention to the center of the rink where Weiss performed a series of impressive jumps and spins. The Chief Scientist's heart twinged slightly. She knew that Weiss's upbringing blessed her with exceptional skating skills, and so she told the young huntress to go have fun and skate to the best of her abilities. With all of the hard work she put into making this rink a reality, she deserved to enjoy herself. At the same time, she wished that her friend would have wanted to teach her to skate instead. Now, she had to deal with the teasing of Bradford-

Vahlen looked around and realized that she no longer had the Central Officer standing next to her. A quick scan of the rink revealed no sign of him, either. The doctor sighed, realizing that he must have been called away while she distracted herself by watching everyone else skate around on the ice. So here she stood, alone and awkward, trying to follow Weiss's advice to be more social and failing miserably all the same.

"Hello, doctor!"

Vahlen looked up to see the smiling face of Pyrrha, which made the doctor feel even more self-conscious. Another naturally talented skater, Vahlen watched Pyrrha earlier as she raced around the rink, leaving even Ruby far behind as she skillfully banked around the room's curvature. To Vahlen, Pyrrha served as another reminder of the doctor's ineptitude at everything that didn't involve science.

"How may I help you, miss Nikos?"

Pyrrha tilted her head slightly, "What do you mean? I saw you were all alone and thought you could use some company." She gestured for Vahlen to grab hold of her extended elbow, "After all, I've always found it more enjoyable to skate with friends."

"I'm a terrible skater." Vahlen pointed out, "Wouldn't you rather be with someone who can keep up with you?"

"Not at all! Just having the opportunity to skate is enough for me. I've had my fill of pushing my skills to the limit, so now I thought I'd spend some time with the XCOM staff. You looked a little lost standing at the edge of the rink, and so here we are." Pyrrha gently pushed off, and Vahlen started to wobble once more.

"You're doing fine." Pyrrha assured her, "Just lean on me and put one foot in front of the other. I'm sure you'll get the hang of this in no time."

Vahlen tried to follow her instructor's guidance, and did her best to match Pyrrha's slow and steady movements. Before long, the doctor managed to remain semi-steady while they skated, though she still leaned heavily on her partner.

"You're really good at this. Do you have experience instructing other people?"

"A bit." The huntress admitted, "I've been helping Jaune learn to fight properly. We used to practice on Beacon's rooftop almost every night. I don't mean to brag, but his skill has improved tremendously since our first lesson."

"I see. If I've learned anything from mister Arc, it's that he's extremely tenacious when he puts his mind to a task. The two of you must make an excellent pair as mentor and pupil."

Slightly, ever so slightly, Vahlen felt Pyrrha stiffen. It took her a moment to realize her mistake, but Vahlen almost tripped once she figured out her faux pas. Of course _that_ would be a sore subject for Pyrrha, as it represented all of the mistrust and dishonesty she had to deal with in Jaune.

"I'm… sorry." Vahlen whispered, letting go of Pyrrha's arm. The huntress came to a stop and faced the doctor, her face strained.

"It's alright, doctor." She sighed, "What you managed to do with Aura has been a great boon to all of us, and I don't blame you for your actions. From what Jaune told me, you were very much against the idea in the first place, and that you frequently reminded him that he could stop whenever he wanted." She looked up at the ceiling, as if the steel beams above held some answers for her, "It's my partner that I'm upset with."

She forced a smile and held out her arm once more, which Vahlen took. The Chief Scientist could tell that this subject meant a great deal to Pyrrha, and Vahlen tried to think of something she could say to help the young woman.

"I don't know if it means much coming from me, but he cares about you a great deal."

Vahlen noticed that the smile became less forced as Pyrrha considered the doctor's words, "I know. He just has a very maddening way of showing it. It's frustrating to know that, even after all the experiences we've had together, he still thought it would be better to hide your experiments and plan to 'surprise' me with his accomplishments after the fact. It's alright, though. I think we've finally managed to overcome that hurdle in our friendship."

"I'm glad to hear it. I must say the two of you look really good together."

Pyrrha laughed and lightly shoved Vahlen, who, by some miracle, managed to stay upright, "Oh please, not you too. We get enough of that from your operatives as it is, and Penny certainly didn't help things with her commentary a few days ago."

The two continued to skate and amiable silence. With Pyrrha's help, Vahlen started to become more comfortable on the ice. At any rate, she found herself relying on Pyrrha's steady support less frequently. Now that it seemed like she could finally enjoy this little break from the day-to-day grind, the doctor let out a contented sigh.

"It's fun, isn't it?" Pyrrha asked, "The ability to push off and just… glide."

The two continued to skate in silence for a while longer before Pyrrha spoke once more, "I was wondering about something, doctor. Now that you've found a way to counteract the suppressive forces blocking our Aura, I must say I'm surprised you haven't asked us if we'd be willing to train some of your operatives as hunters. Surely the power they could gain from an unlocked Aura and discovering a Semblance would be an impressive advantage against the invasion, no?"

Vahlen hummed in contemplation of Pyrrha's question, "A keen observation, miss Nikos. There are several factors at play, but two stand out above the rest. First, all of my extensive research regarding the Aura and of you and your friends has given me several metrics with which I can gauge the strength of one's, for the lack of a better term, 'soul force.' While the primary use of such measurements is to ensure you are all in good health, I also took the liberty of running tests on several of our own operatives."

"Oh? So you have considered the possibility of training up hunters, then."

"Indeed." Vahlen answered, "However, the results were a tad disheartening. While you and your friends possess very strong souls, none of the operatives I tested came anywhere near as close to measuring up to your level."

Pyrrha sighed, "That's… unfortunate. After all you've done for us, I had hoped we could return the favor by lending your operatives some of our power."

Vahlen waved her off, "Don't think like that. Your teams have had an enormous impact on our operation here. My staff should be the ones wondering how we can repay you for all that _you_ have offered. Back to the point, however, it appears that the different environments of Earth and Remnant have resulted in residents of the latter building up this biological soul force while citizens of the former have had no reason to do the same. Any number of variables could be the cause, from the suppression field on Earth, to the Grimm creating a need for Remnant humans to strengthen this particular trait. Whatever it is, you all clearly have it while we of Earth, for the most part, do not."

"For the most part?"

"For the most part." Vahlen confirmed, "I once told your friends on Team RWBY that the energies of Aura and Psionics are remarkably similar. While one is of the soul and the other the mind, they both require an impressive force of will to use. Because of this, it appears that our Psionically gifted soldiers possess stronger souls than the rest of our operatives. Still not on your level, of course, but I wouldn't be surprised if their strength could be built up with time.

"And before you ask why we don't let you train them," Vahlen added with a smile, "Keep in mind what happened to miss Rose when the Psionic and Auric energies clashed within her body. While it's likely possible to refine the two sources in such a way that they can coexist, I do not wish to expose our operatives to that danger without learning more. For now, their psychic powers are more than enough to deal with the aliens. If the idea of 'unlocked' XCOM operatives becomes more attractive to the Central Officer, then I will devote more resources to this problem."

"As much as I hate to say this," Pyrrha began, hesitation evident in every word, "I'm sure Jaune would volunteer to help you the moment you suggest it."

Vahlen raised an eyebrow, "I'm surprised you would even think to suggest that."

"I told you, it's not the fact that he did it that bothers me. It's the fact that he _didn't tell me_. In the short amount of time I've had the pleasure of knowing Jaune, I can tell you that he is one of the most wonderful and kindhearted people I know. I would gladly pick him as my partner if I had the chance to redo initiation all over again."

Vahlen eyed Pyrrha with amusement, "Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I remember Weiss telling me a story or two about your initiation. To my understanding, teammates were not assigned or chosen, but randomly encountered in the forest outside of your academy."

Pyrrha's eyes widened for a brief moment, before a guilty smile crossed her lips, "It's funny you mention Weiss, because she was one of the first to ask me who I intended to partner up with, offering herself as a potential candidate. I believe that I told her I was planning on 'letting the chips fall where they may,' but that was only true if you replaced 'the chips' with 'Jaune' and 'where they may' with 'exactly where I wanted him to.' "

Vahlen stopped skating for a moment to stare at Pyrrha for a moment. The expression on the young huntress's face was one part embarrassment and two parts pride. After the initial shock wore off, Vahlen couldn't help but laugh, "My, aren't you a crafty one? I had no idea you could be so… manipulative."

"Oh, it's nothing so bad as that…" Pyrrha waved her off, though her smile told Vahlen that she agreed with the doctor's assessment, "I suppose that since my semblance is the manipulation of magnetism, I shouldn't be surprised that such a mentality sometimes bleeds over into other aspects of my life. Besides, I could tell Jaune had no plan for landing safely in the forest when I saw him careening head over heels through the sky. So really, he owed me for my favor of saving his life. I was just simply cashing that in when I locked eyes with him in the forest."

"Well, I suppose that's the difference between men and women." Vahlen winked, "Where we are subtle, crafty, and creative in getting what we want-"

"Why else would Bradford put you in charge of alien interrogations?" Pyrrha interrupted with a laugh.

"Men are blunt, obtuse, and… whatever _that_ is."

Pyrrha followed the direction of Vahlen's gesture and saw Jaune, MacAuley, Zhang stripped to their boxers and laying down on the ice. All three of them had faces screwed up in pain from contact with the freezing floor, yet not one of them made a move to get up. A small ring formed around the three men while Pyrrha and Vahlen observed bet money exchange hands as onlookers cheered for the operatives.

"Yes… sort of like that." Pyrrha agreed.


	29. Combined Arms

"Oi! Xiao Long!"

Yang turned her attention away from the MEC Devastator to see the Captain of Strike Five walking towards her. The humming frame of Penny's SHIV also turned to 'face' the newcomer to XCOM's Repair Bay, as Ruby told her it was rude to talk to someone with your back turned.

" _Captain Beagle! How may we be of assistance today?_ "

Beagle shrugged, "Beats me. I was just asked to personally inform the Gunnery Sergeant that Bradford wants to see her down in Shen's Lab."

Yang raised an eyebrow, "And he couldn't do this over the intercom?"

"Chief said it wasn't an emergency, and so he didn't want to broadcast the message to the whole base."

" _Oh! Is this about the super-secret thing that we're not supposed to tell Operatives Belladon-_ "

"Yes, Penny." Beagle interrupted, sighing, "That is exactly what it is. Congratulations on confirming it _in front of Xaio Long._ "

" _Good point…_ "

Yang gave Penny a friendly pat on the head, "It's alright, kid. If it makes you feel better, I can pretend to be surprised."

Beagle jerked a thumb at the MEC, "If you'd like, I could pick up where you left off on this guy and make some progress on repairs while you figure out what Bradford wants. That way, you won't feel like you're wasting time that could be spent on maintenance."

Yang cast a wary look at the Captain, "I've heard the scuttlebutt going around about you. Ever since the engineers welded a pair of shotguns to my Devastator, you keep talking about how badly you want to paint it blue and yellow."

Beagle confirmed Yang's suspicions by looking anywhere except her face, "I, uh… I don't know what you're talking about."

"Uh huh. You also talk about stenciling in some weird logo with the words 'Live free in the NC.' "

"Okay, fine! But I'm _also_ willing to help finish up the maintenance work after I'm done with the paint job."

"You know I'll probably be back before you're even halfway done with the first coat."

Beagle grinned, a glint in his eye, "That a challenge, Xaio Long?"

Yang sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Just… don't do anything I can't fix, alright? C'mon Penny, let's see what Old Man Bradford wants with me and Blakey."

With Penny whirring happily at her side, Yang left the Repair Bay and made her way towards Engineering.

* * *

"Alright, I've got a really giddy Captain Beagle with a paint can and a spanner wrench doing awful things to my poor MEC, so what do you need me down here for?" Yang asked as she strode up to the small congregation of Bradford, Shen, Vahlen, and the rest of her team. While it didn't surprise her to see Ruby hiding in Shen's neck of the woods, Weiss's presence intrigued Yang. Whatever this was about, it must have something to do with her whole team.

"Good afternoon, miss Xiao Long." Shen greeted with a friendly nod before turning to Yang's companion, "And to you as well, Penny."

" _Hello Doctor Shen!_ " Penny chirped.

Yang looked around at the group, "So it seems I'm the last one here. What'd I miss?"

"Nothing yet!" Ruby answered while failing to suppress a grin, "We wanted to make sure you arrived before revealing anything, so we've just been chatting about other stuff while waiting."

"Anything interesting?"

"Yes, actually." Vahlen said, "I've been analyzing the… ah… biological matter from the Grimm specimens brought back by Strike Five. It's a _fascinating_ material, to be quite honest. I remember you saying that they evaporate upon death, and I can see how that would be the case when you consider-"

"Doctor." Bradford interrupted with an amused smile. Vahlen glanced at him with a deer-in-the-headlights look before catching his meaning, "… but that's not important right now. If you're actually interested in knowing more, feel free to stop by my office when you have time."

Bradford cleared his throat, "What _is_ important right now is something that I think might be very relevant to your interests as well as those of miss Belladonna."

"I was going to ask if it involved flaming explosions, but then you mentioned Blake, so… that's probably a no."

"You're not entirely correct." Shen answered with a mysterious smile, "Our friend Penny has been spending some time keeping me company down here, though I suspect that may have something to do with miss Rose practically living on the manufacturing floor during her downtime."

" _That's not true!_ " Penny said in a hurt voice, " _You are a very nice man, Doctor Shen, and it is a pleasure to spend time helping you to the best of my abilities and gaining a better understanding of how things are made! It is nice to spend time with Ruby, though…_ " She quietly added.

Shen chuckled, "I can see why you're all friends with miss Polendina. She's quite a delightful companion, and there's never a dull moment when she's around. Regardless, she had some data files in her memory banks that proved… interesting."

"Interesting how?" Blake asked.

"They detail maintenance and repair protocols for her usual hardware platform, the one I assume you are all more familiar with than her current SHIV frame."

" _Even though my father was very careful about keeping me safe, he wanted to make sure I knew how to perform emergency repairs in the case of… well… an emergency._ " Penny explained.

Vahlen tapped her tablet a few times before passing it to Blake, "While the protocols don't provide enough information to completely reconstruct Penny's limbs, our friend here was able to provide us with sufficient data to enhance our own civilian-class limb augments."

Yang began to put the pieces together, "You don't seriously mean…"

"We do." Bradford confirmed, his face a mixture of pride and happiness, "After this afternoon's shakedown test, both you and Blake will have the option to enter missions as either biological operatives or MEC troopers."

Ruby, practically skipping by this point, blurted out, "Which also means you can use your regular weapons again!"

Stunned silence followed as Blake and Yang worked to wrap their heads around the news. Yang held up her current prosthetic and flexed the mechanical fingers. Dexterous as they were, XCOM's limbs lacked the necessary strength and structural integrity to even be considered for use in the field. But now Shen and Vahlen apparently managed to co-opt Penny's hardware to fix that problem. If Ruby's stories were true, she once witnessed Penny stop a high-speed truck with just her bare hands.

Yang grinned, "Sounds pretty great. Sign me up."

"I'm glad you're eager, Tech Sergeant, because we've just detected a Terror Ship flying over the central United States. Our current air force stationed here is still recovering from an encounter with a Battleship, so there's no way for us to shoot it down. Intel suggests that by the time you've had a chance to test out the new augments, we'll need to send out a team to handle the situation. And since this is the first Terror op we've had since the appearance of the Grimm…"

"… You're sending in Strike Eight." Ruby guessed, "Understood, sir. Will operative Polendina be joining us?"

"Ordinarily, XCOM protocols restrict squad sizes to eight, to avoid the possibility of losing too many soldiers on a single wipe. However," Bradford added, cutting off the protest he could see forming on Ruby's lips, "Considering the circumstances, I think it's fair to say that the relatively unknown threat of the Grimm merits additional backup. We'll be sending Penny with you, alongside Field Commander Van Doorn."

Ruby's eyes widened, "Van Doorn, sir?"

"Correct, Lieutenant. However, even though the Field Commander outranks you, he will not be taking charge of the mission. His job is twofold: provide support for your team, and acclimate himself to the nature of Grimm tactics. Van Doorn will follow your orders to the letter, as he and I both trust your knowledge and experience on this new foe."

"Understood, sir." Ruby answered, still a little dazed at the prospect of giving orders to XCOM's highest-ranking field agent. She respected the man a great deal and had the opportunity to talk with him at length on more than one occasion. Even when she went off on her tech-driven ramblings, Van Doorn would patiently listen and even ask questions when she finished. Being told that he'd be following her orders for this mission was like telling her Glynda or Ozpin would be tagging along with her team for a Grimm-hunting field trip.

Yang's cheerful voice pulled Ruby from her thoughts, "Well, sounds like we don't have much time to waste. Let's get to it!"

* * *

During the short flight from HQ to the Terror site, Yang wouldn't stop flexing her arms and punching the air in front of her. While Blake remained content to know that the limbs worked, the novelty of once again having arms still hadn't worn off for her partner. Ruby was just glad that the aliens decided to invade somewhere nearby like St. Louis instead of Beijing.

"Central, this is Big Sky. Strike Eight has reached the AO, and is ready to engage."

"Copy that, Big Sky. Strike Eight is free to engage all hostile contacts. Good hunting out there, Eights."

Ruby ran a quick comm check with her squad mates. Once she confirmed everyone had a working link, she issued her first order, "Alright, listen up. Time is of the essence here. I don't think anyone from JNPR has had the opportunity to run a Terror mission before, but it's different from your usual Search and Destroy sort of op. We have friendlies in the field for this one. The aliens are trying to spread panic among the populace, and it's our job to get people to safety. Let's move, and I'll provide more details on how we should tactically approach this as we go."

"St. Louis is a big city." Van Doorn added, "But at last it's got a nice, big landmark to make sure you don't get lost. If we can contain the threat to the current sector and keep the rest of the citizens from panicking, that would be a huge win for XCOM."

The team hustled towards the metropolitan area spread out before them. The sounds of people screaming, sirens blaring, and guns firing lit up the evening. If Grimm were indeed spreading across the globe, they would undoubtedly be attracted to such high levels of chaos.

"There's ten of us, so I think we can split into teams of five to cover ground more rapidly. Red Team, comprised of RWBY and operative Polendina, will head southeast towards that big stadium while Blue Team, comprised of JNPR and the Field Commander, takes the southwest. Van Doorn says that there's a train station that way, and it'll be a good asset to control if we need to evacuate people quickly. Three and Eight, I want you on point and providing us with intel on enemy locations. Stick to the shadows, and take evasive action if you're spotted."

The two mobility experts nodded. Blake performed a few shadowsteps to test her new limbs once more. She was mildly disappointed to discover during the shakedown that she still hadn't quite gotten the hang of making a complete shadow replica of herself now that she had mechanical arms and legs. She could shadowstep just fine, but the afterimage was an amorphous blob of her head and torso. It didn't really matter much, mechanically speaking, but the fact that her psyche _still_ refused to accept the drastic change from months ago still bothered Blake.

"Hyperwave data confirms the usual squad composition of Heavy Floaters, Cyberdiscs, and Sectopods. Their attention is focused primarily on civilians, and it's our job to shift that focus over to us. Crowd control and lockdown abilities are vital in bringing down alien pods quickly and safely. Two usually handles that on our end, and I think Magnhild's grenades make Six a prime candidate to fill that role for Blue Team. For the rest of us, we need to clear a path and get civilians back to the safety of the Skyranger. Once we confirm that all targets are down, we can let the local authorities handle cleanup."

"Yes ma'am." Van Doorn said with a grin.

"Don't forget: where there's a Terror ship, there's Chryssalids. Hyperwave intel didn't report any, but I'd bet a month's worth of kitchen duty that we'll find some. Stay at range, and only fight in melee as a last resort. Alright, let's move out."

RWBY and JNPR split up with Blake and Ren taking their respective leads. Ruby's team followed Blake at a slower pace, though still within range to quickly support her if something took the agile faunus by surprise.

In less than a minute, Ruby already had Blake's voice in her ear, "Contacts ahead, Heavy Floater squad by the sounds of it. No Sectopods yet, thankfully."

"Copy that. Be ready, Blue Team. Your welcome party can't be far behind." Ruby turned to Weiss and grinned, "We got fliers. Standard Ice Flower protocol?"

"Standard Ice Flower protocol." Weiss confirmed.

"Nine, suppress the floaters while Two and I drop them."

" _Absolutely!_ " Penny's Superheavy Plasma hummed to life, and she pelted the fliers with ionized gas as the squad rounded the corner to reunite with Blake. Yang also punched out explosive rounds from Ember Celica to help keep the heavies distracted while Weiss summoned a series of concentric glyphs in front of Ruby's rifle. Crescent Rose bucked slightly with each pull of the trigger, and icy blue rounds shot out and struck the mechanized aliens. Chunks of ice grew where the Dust rounds hit, causing the propulsion systems on most of the aliens to seize.

As soon as the first Heavy hit the ground, Yang leapt into action. Ember Celica rang out with each punch as Ruby's sister shattered the alien's face plate and proceeded to beat it into a bloody pulp before kicking its carcass across the street and moving on to the next one. Blake leapt from out of the shadows to assist her partner. Not only did her shadow clones continue to keep the airborne Heavy Floaters off-balance, but Gambol Shroud proved to be a very effective weapon against Blake's foes. After a leading off with a strike at the alien's Plasma Rifle, Blake continued to kick off and grapple back to her target, delivering a flurry of strikes against the Heavy Floater's arms and face before finishing off with a piercing strike through the exposed skull.

"Nine! Search for nearby civilians and provide cover while they escape back towards the Skyranger!" Ruby instructed.

" _Right away!_ " With the fight against the Heavies well in hand, Penny broke off from the firefight to check the nearby buildings.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ruby saw a flier line up a shot with Yang's back. Ruby snapped her rifle around with lightning speed, and time almost slowed down as her eyes zeroed in on her target far more quickly than biologically possible. Her first shot punched clean through the Heavy Floater's weapon, and the followup punctured through a tiny fracture on the alien's skull plate, causing alien blood to spew out through the entry wound.

"Thanks, Annette." Ruby whispered before keying her comm once more, "Five, this is Actual. What's your status?"

"Contacts sighted, Actual. Couple of Cyberdiscs and a pod of Chryssalids. Seven and Ten are handling the bugs."

Ruby took a moment to fire Crescent Rose at a flier trying to escape the fray before answering, "Understood. Be careful with the 'Discs. They really pack a punch."

"Don't need to tell me. I've had the misfortune of seeing that firsthand already. Happy hunting, Actual."

"Likewise, Five."

Satisfied with Blue Team's situation, Ruby turned her attention back to the battle at hand.

* * *

Jaune steadied his Plasma Dragon and unloaded on his target. Ren's clever sabotage of the Cyberdisc's closing mechanism with StormFlower meant that the alien construct's exposed internals suffered the full impact of Jaune's HEAT rounds. He wanted to use the high-caliber Dust rounds and pretend for a moment that he was Coco Adel, but multiple field tests confirmed that plasma weaponry trumped Dust munitions against robotic targets. Either way, his potent ammo tore through the Cyberdisc all the same, and the Ren rolled out of the way just in time to dodge the explosion marking the machine's death.

"All targets down." Van Doorn confirmed, giving Pyrrha a firm pat on the back, "Looks like Desperado wasn't exaggerating about your skills, Ares. Nice work with those 'Lids."

Jaune rolled his eyes, recalling the nickname incident from a few days ago. After Strike Five's Grimm op, MacAuley found time to drag his team to the lounge and partake in the 'honorable tradition' of handing out nicknames. It took the Irishman all of four seconds to come up with one for Pyrrha. Evidently, she reminded them of this 'God of War' from an ancient culture on Earth, and so Pyrrha quickly became known as Ares. When the base techs pulled up pictures of heroes and gods from Greek and Roman culture, even Jaune had to acknowledge the uncanny resemblance to Pyrrha's regular combat attire. Despite being literal worlds apart, it seemed like humans had a knack for developing and cultivating similar cultures and the stylistic designs to go with them.

Nora's nickname took a little more time to come up with. MacAuley originally proposed 'MC' as his first choice, but one of his friends pointed out that it would be better to honor Major Vance's memory by not making every nickname for JNPR a nod to pop culture. After a brief moment of silence to remember the lost, MacAuley agreed and offered 'Hammertime' as a good compromise. As expected, Nora was ecstatic to have any kind of nickname that mentioned Magnhild, and immediately latched onto it.

Much like with Pyrrha's nickname, MacAuley and his friends quickly agreed upon Jaune's. After seeing his impressive display with the Plasma Dragon against the Nevermore, MacAuley's suggested nickname of 'Dakka' immediately gained traction among everyone gathered around. When Jaune asked what MacAuley's nickname was supposed to mean, one of the base techs answered with, "It's dakka, man. Bullets, ammunition, superior firepower, pew pew, etc... You can never have enough dakka. There's always room for more."

Ren provided the greatest challenge for Conor and his merry crew. In the end, Colonel Zhang ended up suggesting a nickname that became popular enough for a majority vote. He reasoned that, on account of Ren's agile fighting style and the fact that his StormFlower lent itself well to impaling his enemies, 'Shrike' would be a suitable nickname. Jaune wasn't sure if everyone agreed because the name actually sounded cool, or because nobody was brave enough to disagree with Zhang. Regardless, Jaune liked the sound of it, and so the last of his team settled in with a new nickname.

Jaune cleared his throat, "Alright, we've got civilians to rescue. Eight, scout ahead and send any friendlies you find back to us. Six and Seven, sweep the building to the south while Ten and I sweep the one across the road."

His team nodded before breaking off to follow his orders. Jaune waited by the doorway for Van Doorn to catch up to him and begin their search. On three, Jaune kicked open the door and dropped low with his shield raised while the Field Commander swept the room with his rifle.

"Looks clear." Van Doorn assessed, "Let's move in."

The duo moved from room to room, checking for friend or foe as they carefully scanned their surroundings. On one occasion, they found a trio of Chryssalids feeding on a dead civilian. Van Doorn managed to remove the head of one with a few well-placed shots before the other two shrieked and charged their attackers. Despite Ruby's warning to avoid close-range engagements with the lethal aliens, Jaune sidestepped the closest alien's opening strike and put all of his weight into a shield bash that sent the first tumbling into the second. The moment of distraction provided ample opportunity for Van Doorn to unload his Plasma Rifle into one Chyrssalid while Jaune plunged Crocea Mors deep into the other. With a final decisive twist of the hilt, the alien fell limply to the floor and Jaune withdrew back to Van Doorn's side.

Van Doorn let out a low whistle, "You know, son, I was hesitant at first to support Ruby's recommendation for Zhang to be your mentor. He's an excellent warrior, but I had my doubts that he'd be able to properly instruct a new recruit without scaring them off. I can see now that your training with Zhang paid off in spades. Not only are your gunning skills impressive, but you definitely have an aptitude for tactical decisions and the tenacity to see your plan through to the end." He gave Jaune a pat on the shoulder, "I'd say your Ozpin knew what he was doing when he made you the leader of your squad."

Jaune didn't have much time to bask in the compliment before Pyrrha's concerned voice came through his ear piece, "Multiple contacts in the south building, on the top floor. We're keeping two civilians secured, but we have no way of escaping. The enemy has us cut off."

"I can only do so much against a Sectopod!" Nora wailed, "Especially when there's the risk of collateral damage."

Jaune and Van Doorn shared a look, "Understood, Six. We're on our way."

As they ran out of their building and towards Pyrrha and Nora's, Jaune turned to his partner once more, "You got a way of skipping to the top floor?"

"Absolutely." Van Doorn confirmed, "The moment Vahlen finished developing a gene mod mimicking the Thin Men's jumpy legs, I was first in line to volunteer for an upgrade."

"Good. You go in high while I go in low. With any luck, all the attention will be focused on our squadmates, and we can flank from both directions."

The Field Commander gave Jaune a salute before coiling his legs and leaping high into the air and landing safely on the roof. Jaune readied his sword and shield before racing his way towards the stairs.

"I've got eyes on the Sectopod." He heard Van Doorn say through the comms, "Metalhead hasn't seen me yet, but there's not much I can do against it on my own."

"I've got some Chem Grenades, but I can't get a clear throw in without eating plasma." Nora said, "I think they modified the targeting systems on these things, since they didn't used to be this accurate."

Jaune pounded up the stairs to the second floor. He spotted Ren on the landing, who motioned for him to be quiet. Jaune joined up with his teammate and the two of them carefully ascended the last set of stairs before finding cover behind a bookcase. Ren peeked around the corner before quickly ducking back and turning to Jaune, "Five Heavy Floaters. They're keeping Nora and Pyrrha pinned down while the Sectopod systematically tears away their cover. The building isn't going to last much longer if they keep this up."

"You got any Flashbangs?" Jaune whispered, "Because we could go in hard and fast while they're stunned, and Van Doorn can get the Sectopod's attention long enough for Nora to chem it."

Ren nodded before keying his mic, "Ten, you're gonna hear a flash go off in about eight seconds. When you do, tag the Sectopod to give Six an opening." He pulled the pin on his grenade and tossed it while adding, "Bang's out."

The two hunters averted their eyes until they heard the telltale _piff_ of Ren's explosive. Immediately, they leapt into action while they heard Plasma shatter the skylight as Van Doorn provided his distraction. Jaune rammed the first stunned alien with his shield, sending it clattering across the floor into view of Pyrrha. Without missing a beat, she hurled Miló at the Floater and impaled it cleanly through the chest. When she magnetically pulled her weapon back to her hand, the helpless alien was dragged along with it.

Ren leapt high into the air and threw an Aura-charged kick at his dazed victim before following up by burying the wicked blades of StormFlower into the exposed flesh of the alien's shoulder and twisting. While Jaune and Ren continued to efficiently cut their way through the Heavy Floaters, Van Doorn's one-man assault garnered the Sectopod's attention. The heavy artillery robot stomped around to face the new threat, opening up its shield plating to discharge its powerful blast at the Field Commander. As Van Doorn leapt back to clear away from the blast zone, Nora took the opportunity to step out to launch her Chem Grenade from Magnhild.

Jaune took a moment to watch the Sectopod blast Van Doorn's previous position, and his jaw almost dropped. The robot's rear plating opened up to reveal a second superheavy cannon.

"Oh…" Was all Nora could manage before a burning blast of plasma forced her back into cover. Cover that was rapidly vanishing from the Sectopod's withering fire.

Fully comprehending Nora's immediate danger, Jaune abandoned his sword stuck in a Heavy Floater's back and raced to put himself between Nora and her imminent doom. With each step he took, another blast rocked the building and left Nora that much more exposed.

Nora's grenade flew true and exploded across the Sectopod's frame, coating it in caustic and acrid chemicals derived from enhanced Chryssalid venom. Jaune's footsteps continued to pound against the wooden floor in a race against time to save his friend. He'd known Nora and Ren long enough to understand that, aside from JNPR, the only thing they had left to depend on was each other. If he let Nora die, and if he let Ren watch… well, he didn't want to think about that.

With a final, firm step, Jaune planted himself directly in front of a flanked Nora and raised his heater shield just in time for the final blast of the Sectopod's salvo. He tried to gather all of his energy in anticipation of the deadly attack, hoping that he could somehow survive the blast through sheer force of will. Pyrrha once said he had a lot of Aura… maybe it would be enough to keep him alive. He heard the cannon discharge a moment later, and suddenly his world went completely white. With some surprise, however, Jaune noted a distinct lack of the pain he expected to accompany the blinding flash.

Once his vision returned, Jaune's jaw almost hit the floor. His heater shield, while still the same sheath for Crocea Mors that he knew and loved, looked very different. A pulsating, incorporeal surface of silver Auric energy extended from Jaune's arm with his physical shield resting at its core. Jaune's shield now looked more like a tower shield with the addition of this silver energy, yet it still felt as light as before. More than that, Jaune felt a new surge of strength course through his arm. He felt _powerful_.

"What in the world…?"

Pyrrha, still tactically savvy enough to seize the opportunity before her, launched Miló at the exposed cannon aperture on the Sectopod. With a loud _bang_ , the spear zipped from one end of the floor to the other, slamming home dead center in the heavy weapon's gaping maw. The Sectopod, already weakened from the metal-eating chemicals of Nora's grenade, reeled from the sudden counterattack.

"Six!" Nora turned to Jaune, ready for his next command, only to find the business end of an Arc Thrower jammed into her gut before her team leader pulled the trigger. An electric surge coursed through Nora's body, and she felt the energy potential absorb into her soul and give her newfound strength.

"Get Magnhild ready, kiddo," Jaune whispered, "Because it's Hammertime."

Jaune watched the familiar sadistic grin grow across Nora's face as Magnhild shifted from a grenade launcher into its hammer form. Once the last bolt clicked into place, Nora leapt forward and wound her body up for a devastating swing. Seconds later, she unleashed her electrically-boosted momentum, striking the Sectopod as it still tried to overcome the errors and mechanical failures caused by Pyrrha's throw. With the acid cloud weakening its structural integrity, the metal frame of the robot crumpled underneath Nora's assault. Plasma rained down from above as Van Doorn did his best to assist the raging Valkyrie by adding his own firepower to the attack.

"Jaune!" Ren called out, and Jaune looked up to see Crocea Mors flying towards him from Ren's throw.

Incredible strength continued to course through Jaune's soul as he caught his sword, and he watched it flow up and into his implements of warfare. A silver sheen of energy molded itself across his blade, completely encasing the sword with its power. Eager to test his newfound strength, he followed Nora into melee and slashed at the Sectopod's leg. The Auric sheath covering Crocea Mors flared as Jaune drove it into the alloyed plating, and the hunter felt his blade slowly cutting through the stiff material. After a few more moments of concentrated effort, the ancient weapon cleanly passed through the remainder of the Sectopod's calf. With only one leg left to stand on, the menacing construct was reduced to a flailing pile of metal as it crashed to the floor.

With a squelch and a scream, Ren dispatched the final Heavy Floater. A brief silence fell over the room, interrupted only when the young child under Pyrrha and Nora's protection stepped out from under the safety of her desk and stared in wonder at the five operatives before asking, "… Are you angels?"

With the danger gone, Jaune's equipment no longer glowed a bright silver. He folded his shield and returned Crocea Mors to his side as Van Doorn deftly dropped down from the roof. A smiling Blue Team assembled before the little girl and her mother as their leader knelt down and held a hand out to the timid child, "No. We're humans just like you, and we're here to get you to safety. Follow us, and you'll be alright."

The situation once again under control, Jaune's thoughts turned to his friends from RWBY. Hopefully the aliens weren't giving them too much trouble. He didn't want to jinx anything, but the op seemed to be going rather smoothly so far.

* * *

"Contacts just beyond this building." Blake whispered over the comm, "Three Cyberdiscs with a drone entourage."

Ruby sighed. One Cyberdisc posed a minimal threat to a well-equipped XCOM team. Two required some finesse, but still weren't too dangerous. Three began to toe the line between 'not difficult' and 'squad wipe waiting to happen.'

"Two, ice is still our best bet for controlling these guys, though it might be worth switching to lightning if you get the jump on an open disc. Three, run interference when we begin to engage. Keep the discs occupied and disoriented as best you can. Four, start punching things. Nine, wait ten seconds before flying in and locking down the drone escorts. Let's move!"

As Red Team rounded the corner, each huntress leapt into action. The first Cyberdisc unpacked itself to prepare a withering cannonade, but a well-placed shock round from Crescent Rose jammed its firing mechanisms and overloaded its calibration circuits. While Ruby cycled her rifle to prepare for another shot, the remaining robots began to counterattack. Even with ice explosively shattering around them, the drones fired a volley of beam shots at the running operatives to keep them off-balance. A lucky shot managed to hit Weiss and halt the flow of ice glyphs detonating around the robotic enemies.

" _Firing main cannon!_ " Penny drifted around the building's corner, weapon hot. A wave of plasma swept across the drone ranks, forcing them to retreat behind their more heavily-armored brethren. The two still-functioning Cyberdiscs charged up their Assault Cannons and locked onto Ruby and Weiss's position. Moments before they could strike, Yang slung herself skyward, one hand firmly gripping the end of Gambol Shroud while the other collided with the sleek surface of her target. Yang's flaming fist knocked the Cyberdisc out of the sky and into its partner, preventing either from unloading on her sister.

After Yang's opening strike caught the two Cyberdiscs off-guard and took down the first, Blake grappled herself up to the second and began an artful dance of swinging, striking, and dodging, leaving shadow clones behind at every step to constantly force the robot to reacquire a target. With Penny focusing down the drones, Yang laying into her disc, and Blake tying up the second, Ruby and Weiss were safe to focus on the Lieutenant's original target. Once more, icy glyphs appeared overhead and launched light-blue projectiles at the target. Heavy blocks of ice began to weigh down the disc, and Ruby raced forward with Crescent Rose to dismantle the sluggish machine.

In a last-ditch effort, the Cyberdisc tried to shoot the agile huntress, but she had no problem dodging out of the line of fire as she continued to close the gap. A couple of reverse shots from her rifle launched Ruby high into the air while she form-shifted her weapon into its scythe configuration. At the apex of her jump, Ruby's eyes zeroed in on her target and scanned the exposed Cyberdisc in search of the best entry point for her beloved scythe. A few seconds later, and one overhead swing proved more than sufficient to decommission the damaged construct.

Less than a minute passed before Red Team finished reducing the remaining machines into scrap metal. Ruby dusted herself off before checking in with the second half of her squad, "Blue Team, this is Actual. How's it going in the west?"

"We just finished escorting two civilians back to the Skyranger." Jaune answered, "I think that'll wrap up our sweep of the region. Had a little run-in with the Sectopod that the Hyperwave picked up, but we took care of it. Everything good with you?"

"Yeah. We still have a few more buildings to secure, but I think we've managed to eliminate the main contingency of terror squads deployed by the invaders. Meet up with us as soon as you can, and we'll finish this together."

"Understood, Actual. We'll be there shortly."

"They better hurry up," Blake muttered, "Because I hear Chryssalids."

Sure enough, Ruby watched as a small horde of the purple monstrosities crawled over a pile of burning wreckage obstructing the road a few blocks away. Their mandibles clicked and their beady eyes stared straight ahead at Ruby's team as they scurried towards their prey.

"I _really_ don't like those things…" Blake whispered. Ruby glanced over at her friend, and everything about Blake's body language screamed 'suppressed fear.' Not that Ruby could blame her: getting your limbs removed because of a nasty encounter with Chryssalids would put anyone on edge whenever they saw the stupid insects.

A piercing shriek reached RWBY's ears a few seconds later, and glass shattered outward from a first-floor storefront. Ruby almost choked when she saw a small band of Beowolves tumble out of the broken window, blood and gore staining their bared teeth and pale face plates.

Ruby keyed her mic, "Pick up the pace, Blues… we've officially made contact with Grimm."

The Beowolves overtook the alien horrors in a matter of seconds. One of the Grimm side-swiped a Chryssalid blocking its path, launching the insectoid through the air as it wailed in pain. The remaining Chryssalids quickly moved out of the way, letting the Beowolves pass before resuming their charge.

"Looks like the aliens haven't solved their control problem." Weiss noted, "Or these are 'wild' Grimm, if Blake's theory about an infection on Earth turns out to be true. This isn't good."

Ruby readied Crescent Rose as she continued to watch the oncoming Grimm. A small part of her felt happy to be once again fighting a familiar enemy, though the rest of her screamed that everything about this was wrong. Either way, she could wrangle with such feelings after her team cut these anomalies into little black ribbons. Maybe if Vahlen was lucky, Ruby would leave behind a sample large enough for the doctor to examine.

"Alright team, let's go hunting."


	30. Slingshot

A/N: I keep forgetting to mention this, but to anyone who's leaving questions or comments that merit a response in 'guest' reviews for my chapters, please realize that I cannot comment back. I use PM's instead of Author's Notes to answer reviews, as it allows the other person the opportunity to respond to my own comments. More than once, this has sparked a very helpful back-and-forth where I gain excellent suggestions from a reader based off of what they had to say. By leaving your review unsigned, I no longer have the option to answer you by PM, and so that opportunity for an idea exchange is lost. I understand if you don't have/want an account, but I want to make sure it's clear that this is the reason I'm not responding, rather than a lack of interest in what you're suggesting in your review.

* * *

An enormous accumulation of pressure and stress vented from Ruby as she took her first swing at a Beowolf. Fighting aliens as an operative for XCOM was all well and good, but Signal and Beacon trained Ruby to be a _huntress_ , and huntresses trained themselves to fight Grimm. The familiar attack patterns of the Beowolf, the automatic reaction drilled into her muscle memory, even the snarling howl as she cut her foe… it all felt so right.

"Weiss!" Yang called out. Her teammate immediately understood, and a glyph spiraled into existence behind Yang. She jumped up, planted her feet on the magical platform, and Weiss's glyph launched the brawler headlong into the crowd of Grimm. A heavy fist crashed into the front Beowolf as Yang's momentum slammed the monster into the ground. The echoes of Ember Celica discharging from Yang repeatedly unloading her gauntlets into her enemy sounded like music to Ruby's ears.

Blake and Penny busied themselves with handling the oncoming Chryssalids. With no more mechanical enemies presenting themselves, Blake could finally use Vahlen's potent Elerium Dust ammunition against her alien targets. While Penny unloaded her Superheavy Plasma cannon into the Chryssalids, Blake blasted them with exploding rounds to finish off the wounded frontrunners. Of course, the pair faced too many of the aliens to dispatch all of them before they closed to melee range. Blake brandished Gambol Shroud while Penny form-shifted her cannon into a lance. Before long, Blake initiated her shadowy dance of death where her agility and deceptions kept the Chryssalids unbalanced while Penny speared the disoriented outliers.

"Pyrrha was right." Ruby said to her sister, "These Grimm don't go down as easily as the ones on Remnant."

Yang nodded, "Yeah, but they're still Beowolves, so that's not saying much. Just means I gotta punch 'em in the face twice instead of once. I can only imagine what it must've been like to fight a pair of Ursa Major, though."

As they fought, more Beowolves continued to pour into the street from the ballpark looming over their battlefield. The city's trademark arch rose behind the stadium, a symbol to remind the operatives of the humanity they strove to protect. Once Blake and Penny finished taking care of the Chryssalids, they joined the rest of RWBY in dealing with the Grimm threat. A few of the Beowolves that joined the fray wore considerably more bone-white cladding than their brethren. These 'Alphas' required more coordination from RWBY to bring down. While weaker than the Ursa Major they heard about from Jaune and Pyrrha, they dodged and evaded far more efficiently than the rank-and-file wolves that first appeared.

"Blake, with me. Weiss, work with Yang." Ruby ordered, taking a moment to put down another of the lesser Grimm. Her teammates nodded before pairing off to take down the elite Beowolves. Ruby fired shot after shot from Crescent Rose to keep her target's attention while Blake stealthily navigated behind the target. She scored a clean backstab, though the Beowolf remained standing in spite of the blow and spun around to crush Blake once it discovered her ruse **.** With a small yelp, Blake stumbled backwards from the force of the blow. While she managed to raise her sword to block it in time, the strength of this 'evolved' Beowolf surprised her.

Weiss and Yang played to the latter's strengths and employed a more direct method. Ice glyphs exploded around Yang as Weiss worked to kill the weaker Grimm while Yang herself squared off against the bony-white target. A few hits from the Beowolf managed to break past Yang's defenses, but the huntress remained unfazed. With each blow that struck her, Yang felt her Aura hardening and providing her with more strength. Finally, she switched from a more defensive posture into an all-out assault, pounding away at her enemy and ignoring its attempted counterattacks.

" _More Grimm incoming!_ " Penny warned. Ruby looked up to see another wave of Grimm coming from down the road and sighed. She was still busy helping Blake deal with the Alpha, how could she possibly assess the new threat?

"Yyyyyyyeeeaaaahhhhhhhhhh!" Pink contrails soared overhead from the highway to the south, and a cloud of explosions enveloped the new threats. The sight of JNPR following Nora's initial bombardment brought a smile to Ruby's face.

"You couldn't have picked a better time to show up. My team's tied up with these alphas, and there's more Grimm coming in from down the road."

"Alphas?" Jaune asked glancing over at the armored targets, "I didn't know Beowolves could even get that big."

Ren raised an eyebrow, "After all we've seen, though, are you really that surprised?"

"No, I guess not. Alright, team! Let's handle the newcomers!"

Ruby's comm clicked in her ear, and she heard Van Doorn's voice, "Actual, I'm taking the high ground to see if I can gauge where these things are coming from."

"As far as we can tell, Commander, they've been spilling out of the ballpark."

"Yeah," Van Doorn agreed, "Busch seems to be chock-full of 'em. With all the smoke and fire, I can't see too much, but the rest of the city looks pretty intact so far. No sign of any fliers or Grimm outside of downtown, at least."

"Understood, Ten. Keep me posted."

JNPR raced off to intercept the next wave of Grimm while RWBY finished dealing with the two larger threats. Yang's heavy assault against her target left the Beowolf looking mutilated and pulped, yet it still managed to somehow remain standing. Weiss switched the Dust revolver on Myrtenaster to its Elerium chamber before dashing in to assist. With the Beowolf still focused on fending off Yang's blows, Weiss managed to come in from the side and thrust her rapier into the Grimm's flank. A quick pull of the trigger, and orange energy flowed along the length of her blade. The moment it made contact with the Beowolf's hide, it reacted explosively, blasting a sizable hole in the Grimm's body. Once more, Yang called out for an assist, and Weiss summoned a platform jump that allowed her teammate to launch herself at the stunned Beowolf's head and bring it crashing to the ground with a snap.

While Ruby brought JNPR up to speed, Blake continued her fast-paced melee with the other alpha. Every time she backed off to reassess the situation, Penny unleashed a salvo of plasma to prevent the Beowolf from pursuing. All the small cuts, burns, and stabs began to add up, and more exposed patches of black fur broke through across the Grimm's body armor. Ruby's eyes zeroed in on a small critical point dead-center in the Alpha's chest, and a careful double-tap left the monster reeling. Blake took the opportunity to fire several more Elerium rounds at the same location to further mutilate and weaken the Beowolf's flesh before lunging in with her sword. Her foe howled in pain as Gambol Shroud eviscerated its insides before Blake yanked it out amid a spray of black tar.

"Target down." She confirmed, driving her sword through the dead Grimm's neck and twisting the blade just to be sure, "These things are definitely leaving behind corpses."

"Yeah, I've noticed that. More samples for Vahlen to play with, I guess." Ruby answered.

"Heads up," Van Doorn warned, "I'm seeing more Grimm swarm out of some buildings south of here. They're crossing the railroad tracks on their way to your position. Seems it's not local to just your block."

"Where are they coming from?" Pyrrha asked.

"From inside buildings, I don't know anything beyond that." Van Doorn admitted, "If there's a specific point of origin, I'm not seeing it."

Blake returned to Ruby's side and muttered off-comm, "Sounds like Remnant. No nest, no roost, no nothing… they're just _there_."

Ruby nodded to Blake before returning to the conversation with the Field Commander, "We need to find a way to round them all up and get rid of them in a single strike. My team once spent an entire day trying to kill roving packs of Grimm in an abandoned city. More just kept replacing the ones we cut down. Even if a single large attack doesn't take them all out, hopefully it will greatly reduce the numbers so we can find a more permanent solution."

Van Doorn grunted an affirmation, "Yeah, I've been thinking of ways we can handle this, and I might have an idea. You said these things are drawn to fear, right?"

"Correct."

"Well, from up here, the flow of Grimm seems to be funneling towards your position. If I had to guess, this might be because you're between them and all the terrified civilians you sent told to congregate at the Skyranger. The rest of the city is full of worried citizens, sure, but they weren't directly affected by the Terror attack, so the Grimm are drawn to them less. If anything, we can have Central signal the local police force to be on high alert for wandering Grimm, but I think most of them will be drawn towards our merry band."

"Makes sense."

"Well, Blue team checked out that train station before doubling back to assist you with your Grimm problem. Union Station, I think. If we can get all the civvies down there and loaded up on a train, the tracks lead out into the countryside. Should give us a wide-open field to draw out all the Grimm and eliminate them with almost no collateral damage. Bradford can scramble some air support to wipe out the monsters, and we can then get the civilians back to safety."

Ruby heard Yang groan over the comms, "Of course it's a train. What is it with us, trains, and Grimm, Rubes?"

"… You've done this before, Actual?"

Ruby wanted to smack her sister for pointlessly complaining, "Once before, though the circumstances were different. Still, the end result wasn't particularly favorable."

"Well, now you've got a second chance to get it done right. Unless you've got a better idea, Lieutenant?"

"No, your idea sounds like our best bet. These things can't be endless, so gathering them at a single point before killing them sounds like the way to go. I'll meet up with you at the Skyranger to escort the civilians to the train station. The rest of the team will remain here to keep the Grimm busy until we're ready for them."

"I like the sound of that!" Nora said.

Ruby laughed, "I figured as much. Once the Field Commander and I give the word, the rest of you need to book it to the train as fast as you can. Until then, don't let the Grimm get past you."

Blake gave Ruby a small punch to the shoulder, "Good luck."

Ruby grinned and punched her back, "Just make sure you get to the train when I give the word. Fighting the Grimm in an open field will be like shooting fish in a barrel, and it's not fair if Van Doorn and I have all of the fun."

"Ugh, that was terrible." Blake said with a disgusted eye roll, "Get going before I vomit."

With a laugh, Ruby zipped down the street towards the Skyranger, hoping that Van Doorn's plan would work.

* * *

"Alright people, let's move quickly now. C'mon, let's go. That's the spirit!" Ruby smiled encouragingly at the scared faces moving past her onto the rail car. Among the group, she spotted a young boy who looked very lost and scared as he searched the crowd for something. Ruby approached him and kneeled down to his level before catching his attention.

"Hey, are you alright?"

"I… I can't find my mom…" He said, eyes still searching the multitude of people, "She said to follow the brave people with big guns and big boots, and she'd be right behind me, but I don't see her."

Ruby closed her eyes and fought to reign in her emotions before answering, "I tell you what, your mom is really worried about you and wants you to be as safe as you possibly can. That train behind us? It's the safest place you can be right now, I promise. So come with me, and we'll get you set up with some nice people to look after you. When this is all over, they'll help you find your mom, alright?"

The kid nodded wordlessly and took Ruby's hand as she led him towards the open doors. On the way, she locked eyes with Van Doorn, and the Field Commander immediately guessed what happened. He keyed his mic to check in with the assault team, "We're about three-quarters done loading up the train, and the conductor is keeping the engine hot. How's it looking out there?"

"A few more of those alphas popped up, but we managed to take them out with minimal injury." Jaune answered, "I'm more concerned about the fact that there doesn't seem to be an end to them."

"It looks more and more like an infection than an alien auxiliary." Blake agreed, "It's possible the alien's know how the Grimm spread, and planned around that for a Terror attack that XCOM has no way of stopping."

"We'll stop it, Three. Just keep them off of us for now, and we'll get this taken care of. Start falling back towards the station. We want the train to have a head start, but we need to make sure the Grimm think they have a chance of catching up to it." Van Doorn saw Ruby approach and briefly turned off his mic, "How's the kid?"

"Found an elderly couple to look after him. Figured he could pretend they're his grandparents or something. We almost done?"

"I think so, just a few stragglers boarding, and we'll be all set to go."

Ruby nodded, "I'm still concerned about the fact that the tracks run right by the stadium before we cross the river and get out of town. It'll be a likely place for the Grimm to jump aboard and wreak havoc."

"Then we'll just have to see to it that they _don't_ jump aboard. That line is the fastest way out of the city, so it's our best option for avoiding collateral damage."

"Ten," Ren cut in over the comms, "We got a problem."

Van Doorn sighed, "How big of a problem, Eight?"

"It's a Nevermore-sized problem."

The Field Commander swore. He figured other types might show up, but he was really hoping the fliers wouldn't. They needed to get this train moving _now_ , and he needed to have Bradford scramble some air support to knock out the fliers. XCOM would have to find out at some point how well its air force matched up against the Nevermore… might as well do it sooner rather than later. He glanced at Ruby, and she nodded in understanding before keying her mic.

"Bradford, you get all that?"

"I did, Actual."

"You know the train will be a sitting duck for those Nevermores, and my squad won't be able to take them out before they rip it apart."

"I know. Your Firestorm support is getting prepped as we speak. They'll be there in about twenty minutes, so you'll need to find a way to hold off the Nevermore until then. Bradford out."

Ruby clicked off her mic, and once again shared a look with Van Doorn, "You thinking what I'm thinking, sir?"

Van Doorn grinned, "Possibly. Does it involve doing something that Bradford shouldn't know about?"

"I daresay it does, sir."

* * *

"Nora, alley-oop!"

Jaune grunted as Nora springboarded off his shield and slammed Magnhild down into a clump of Beowolves. As several skidded towards Jaune, he wasted no time in getting to work slashing them with Crocea Mors. A red and gold spear impaled itself into an adjacent beast, and Pyrrha appeared by his side a moment later. Akoúo̱ rang out as Pyrrha smashed the face in of a second Beowolf before pulling her sword back to her hand and driving it through the monster's chest.

"Hey." She said while the two continued to butcher Grimm.

"Hey yourself." Jaune replied.

Pyrrha ducked low under a swipe from a small (and thankfully unarmored) Ursa before slashing it across the chest, "So, uh… is now a good time to talk about… y'know… that thing you did?"

Her partner raised an eyebrow, "My semblance?"

"Yeah, that. When did you discover it, and why didn't you tell me?"

Jaune pulled out his Plasma Dragon and drilled a pack of Beowolves trying to get the jump on Ren, "I discovered it the same time you did."

Pyrrha took a moment to stare at Jaune, "Wait, so you mean to say-"

"That I jumped in front of a Sectopod's cannon without knowing I had an ace up my sleeve? Yeah."

"Do you enjoy trying to get yourself killed on a regular basis, Mister Arc?" Pyrrha asked with an eye roll.

"Hey, isn't that what hunters do?"

"Touché."

"Look, even after seeing what I'm guessing is my semblance in action, I still don't really know what it is. More importantly, I still don't know how to activate it, or else I'd be tearing up these Grimm like a Paladin."

Pyrrha blinked in confusion, "Like a… mech?"

"You've never played Dungeons and Deathstalkers, have you?"

"Pack it up, Assault Team." Ruby called out over the comm, "Train's all set to go."

"Copy that, Actual. Do you want us to meet you aboard the train?" Weiss asked.

"Some of you, yes. I want Two and Four to make a beeline for Union Station. Five, Six, Seven, and Nine will head to the Skyranger. Bradford is sending in Firestorms to handle the Nevermore, but we need a way to kill them or keep them distracted so they don't destroy the train."

Jaune almost choked, "And you want to use the Skyranger? But… it's not equipped for combat."

Van Doorn answered for Ruby, "It will be with a bit of jury rigging. HoverSHIVs have a maglock functionality, so Nine can strap herself to the hull and act as an automated turret defense for Big Sky."

"Additionally, we're pretty sure leaving the ramp open won't affect the Skyranger's aerodynamics too much," Ruby added, "So once you properly secure yourself inside the hold, you should be able to see out the back and gun down any Grimm on your tail. There's plenty of spare ammunition in the cargo bay, so go all-out trying to get the attention of the Nevermores."

"… Does Bradford know about this?"

"Negative, though we've already informed Papa Bear in the cockpit, and he's good with the plan."

"Fair enough, but you still have to operatives awaiting orders." Blake pointed out.

"Correct. With the Grimm busy chasing after the train, I need you and Eight to use stealth and search the city to try and figure out where the Grimm are coming from. We saw them pouring out of buildings… there has to be _something_ inside that will provide us with answers. Van Doorn recommends starting with the ballpark. Let's move!"

The group broke up into their respective teams, and Jaune followed Pyrrha, Nora, and Penny to the Skyranger. For a while, the Grimm stayed hot on their heels, but the main force soon broke off to chase after Weiss and Yang while only the closest threats continued to follow Jaune's group. As the team continued to run, Jaune saw a small hatch open up on Penny's SHIV. Seconds later, a flurry of small projectiles flew out of the opening and each one zipped towards a Grimm target. A small blast resounded within the Beowolves, and they began to stumble from the immense pain of whatever Penny just did to them.

" _Elerium-infused micro rockets_." Penny explained, " _Vahlen felt bad that I don't have my real body for combat, so she and Shen gave me a few extras that conventional SHIVs don't have the software capacity to properly use._ "

Jaune let out a low whistle, "Glad you're with us, then. C'mon, the Skyranger is up ahead."

While Penny floated over to the belly of the ship, the rest of the team stormed up the open gangplank and into the cargo hold. Jaune rapped his knuckles on the bulkhead separating the cargo from the cockpit to indicate that everyone was aboard, and the Skyranger's gangplank closed while its engines revved for liftoff.

"Let me know when you're all properly secured, and we can get this whole song and dance over with." The pilot said through the PA, "Just do me a favor and make sure those birds don't put too many holes in my baby."

"Will do, sir." Jaune said assuringly, "Word of advice: as far as we know, the Nevermore can only fling feathers from the underside of their wings. While it's possible for them to go belly-up to attack an elevated target, they're maneuverability is sluggish enough where you can see the attack coming. So try to stay above them as best you can."

"I'll keep that in mind. Now let's roll."

* * *

Ruby turned around at the sound of rapid footsteps to see a breathless Yang barrel onto the train with Weiss in her arms. The Lieutenant immediately radioed Van Doorn to get the train moving before checking on her teammates.

"You two alright?"

Yang nodded, still doubled over and gasping for air, "Yeah. We did our best to delay the Grimm to give the train time to pick up speed. Weiss found a good chokepoint to throw up an ice barrier. She did a really good job, but sapped too much of her stamina in the process, so I had to do all the running for both of us."

"It's a good thing you're always obsessing about 'them gains,' then." Ruby said with a laugh, "Do you think she'll be alright? It would be great to have her support for the train's defense, but we can put her with the passengers while the rest of us-"

"I'll be fine, you dunce." A groggy Weiss mumbled, "Give me that Atlesian MRE I know you brought and a few minutes. I'll be ready go go when the fighting starts."

The train shuddered and began to slowly roll. Ruby dug out the ration from her pocket and tossed it to Weiss, who tore it open and began to wolf down the contents of the package. Yang wrinkled her nose, "Always thought MRE's tasted pretty terrible."

"I don't have the luxury of complaining right now." Weiss countered with a stuffed mouth, "You two should make sure the Grimm aren't too close behind us."

Ruby nodded, giving Weiss two thumbs up before following her sister to the roof of the rail car. She braced herself against the buffeting wind and looked back at the city. A huge, silver arch stood in the background, and Ruby recalled Van Doorn's brief description of the city's most famous landmark on their flight over from HQ. Now that she found herself with a moment of respite, Ruby had to admit that it looked pretty impressive, and soon Ruby's mind grew distracted as she contemplated all the hurdles of engineering required to construct such a monument. Her musings were cut short, however, when she spotted a Giant Nevermore land on the arch's apex and cast its **b** eady gaze upon her train.

"Ten?" She called over the comms, "Would it be possible to get this train going faster? I've got eyes on a Giant Nevermore, and I think it now has eyes on us."

"I'll talk to the engineer and see what we can do. If that thing gets close, it's up to you to do whatever it takes to bring it down."

"Copy that." Ruby grew alert at the sound of ice shattering far in the distance, which likely meant that Weiss's barrier finally fell to the Grimm horde.

"So this is what it feels like to have hearing like Blake…" She keyed her mic once more, "Look alive, everyone. The Grimm will be on our six shortly, and I need everyone ready to help take them out. In addition, we'll be passing close by the stadium, which might still be spawning even more Grimm. Two, how are you doing?"

"Shaking off the last of my fatigue. I'll be ready when you need me." Weiss answered.

"Excellent. Five? What's the Skyranger's status?"

"We are airborne and ready to go. I heard your comment on the Giant Nevermore. Papa Bear's keeping an eye on him, but none of the other fliers have appeared since we first spotted them from the ground twenty minutes ago."

"Understood. Be ready to intercept the moment they appear on your radar. Nine should have a few… gifts for them, courtesy of the Good Doctor."

"Yeah, we've already seen one. I'm not surprised she's got more."

"Three? How's the search going?"

"Lots of dead Grimm in the streets." Blake answered, "I still can't get over the fact that they're not evaporating, you know. We're approaching the stadium now. Lots of fires and shattered glass, but otherwise no signs of any useful information."

"That's… disturbing. Keep me posted, Three."

"I was planning to."

Ruby pulled Crescent Rose off of her hip and folded it out into its rifle form. Rather than look through her scope, however, Ruby tried to simply look off into the distance with her naked eye to see if she could spot the oncoming Grimm. Sure enough, she picked up several black-and-white specks rounding the corner onto the train tracks by Union Station, with more spilling out behind them with each passing second. She focused on the lead Grimm, and her eyes managed to make out the detailed features of an alpha Beowolf, it's blood red eyes staring out from behind its bony armor.

"Of course they send an alpha to kick things off." She muttered with a sigh. Ruby readied her rifle, planting Crescent Rose in the roof of the rail car to keep it steady, and fired off an opening shot at the wolf. A puff of dirt to the right of her target indicted to Ruby that her aim needed a few adjustments. She twitched her arms ever-so-slightly to shift her rifle by a tenth of a degree and fired again. The beast stumbled as Ruby's shot struck it dead-center in the chest. A grin slowly formed across Ruby's face when she confirmed that she had a solid lock on her target, and three more shots rang out to follow up after the first hit.

The stumbling alpha soon found itself trampled underfoot by the rest of the Grimm horde as it continued to race towards the escaping train. Ruby grinned as she watched the first problem take care of itself before focusing on the rest of the stampede. A quick scan of the group revealed that Beowolves comprised the majority of the force, though Ruby also spotted several Boarbatusks, Ursa, and even a few Creeps. She felt relief wash over her when she didn't find any Deathstalkers or Taijitu in the crowd.

"We've got Grimm on our tail. Except for our Nevermore friends, all targets appear to be lesser Grimm, with a few Ursa as the most dangerous class. Two, I want you up top with me to slow them down, and I want Four ready to repel any boarding parties that come at us from the stadium. Ten, stay with the civilians and keep me updated on any notable developments."

"Of course, Lieutenant. Good hunting."

"Actual, this is Central." Bradford said over the comm, "Your air support is ten minutes out. Do whatever it takes to eliminate the Grimm or stall them long enough for the cavalry to arrive and wrap things up down there."

"Understood, Central." Ruby answered, "We've got a plan to keep the birds busy. Additionally, I've sent our two best scouts to search the city for any answers that may help us understand he Grimm."

"Smart move. I'm sure Vahlen will be very appreciative of any information your operatives manage to dig up. Central out."

Ruby heard footsteps behind her and glanced back to smile at Weiss, "Glad you could make it, partner."

She watched as Weiss gave her sword a few practice swings before checking the Dust chambers in the revolver, "I told you I would. Everything is all set to go, what do you need me to do?"

Ruby nodded at the approaching Grimm, "I'm basically shooting fish in a barrel at this point with the Grimm behind. Watch for targets coming in from our flank and pick them off. I found out that if you wound one enough, it'll get trampled beneath the others, so you don't even have to worry about a clean kill for the big guys."

Myrtenaster's revolver spun until the red vial clicked into place, "That simple, huh?" Weiss asked with a smirk, "Well, how about we start with a little fire once they get close enough?"

Ruby chambered another round into Crescent Rose and gave Weiss a small salute, "I'll do my best to make sure you don't have to waste too much Dust on such inferior creatures."

"Keep patronizing me, Ruby, and you'll find yourself waking up in Vahlen's interrogation chamber as my idea of a joke."

Three shots rang out, followed by three of the smaller Beowolves succumbing to a bullet between the eyes. So long as the stampeding Grimm were outside of Weiss's range, Ruby would do her best to whittle down their numbers and leave her partner to focus on the stadium targets. Still, for every Beowolf that fell, another poured out of the streets of the city to replace it. Hopefully Ruby's team could wring St. Louis dry of its Grimm infestation by the time her train cleared the city limits. Even as bolts of flame erupted from her right, a piercing shriek shattered the air from within the metropolis, and Ruby watched the Giant Nevermore take flight. As she stared at the monstrous Grimm, several of its smaller brethren flew up to greet it before they all turned towards the fleeing locomotive.

Weiss continued to burn down the charging Beowolves, and Ruby noticed the familiar explosions of Ember Celica's Dust rounds as Yang supported Weiss's efforts to keep the approaching Grimm away. Even so, there were too many for the huntresses to contain, and several managed to latch on to train along it's length.

"Yang?" Ruby asked.

"On it." Came the curt reply as her sister sprinted towards the passenger cabin to deal with the Grimm raiding party one car at a time.

"Alright, Big Sky, you're up with the Nevermore. As much as it pains me to say it, Crescent Rose simply won't cut it against these guys."

Yang's voice filled Ruby's ear, "Awwww, sis, I'm so proud of you! I never knew you carried the infamous Xaio Long punny gene."

"I.. What? Oh, Goddammit, Four."

"Big Sky is on approach to attack the Nevermore." The pilot called out, "I hope your SHIV buddy can pack a punch, because those things look pretty big."

" _Don't you worry, Papa Bear! I'm confident that I can distract the Grimm long enough to help Ruby escape._ "

Ruby could hear Papa Bear's sigh over the comm, "Great…"

On the Skyranger's first pass, flashes of green shot out from beneath the ship's hull and raked across the Nevermore formation. Several of the fliers squawked in protest and broke off to chase after the new target. Unfortunately, the Giant Nevermore remained on course to intercept the train. In another minute or two, it would be within firing range. Ruby hoped that the Skyranger could take care of it before then.

* * *

A/N: Man, I'm _really_ sorry for splitting up this mission arc again, but it had to be done. My original draft ran upwards of 7k words, and only a third of that was devoted to the train chase setpiece. So rather than rush something that I've been excited about writing for a while, I've decided to stop here and flesh out the final segment of the mission. To all the Americans, hope you had a great Turkey Day. To everyone, let's take bets on whether or not Coco/Yatsu is getting Worf'd in this weekend's episode, shall we?


	31. Close Encounters

"There they are! Nora, you got the Chem grenades locked in?"

Nora grinned, "Absolutely."

With a bang and a whistle, an array of grenades flew out of Magnhild and streaked towards the wing of Nevermores. Rather than hit the Grimm directly, Nora's grenades exploded before contact, which forced the birds to fly through the cloud of corrosive acid. Jaune knew that the plan worked when the Grimm started to fly erratically in response to the pain of chemicals slowly eating away at their skin. He revved up his Plasma Dragon and belched out a stream of flak-patterned plasma at his targets.

Big Sky pulled into a steep climb, which briefly ruined Jaune's aim, but the hail of black feathers narrowly missing the hull made Jaune realize the pilot made a good decision.

Jaune turned to his partner, who had Miló raised to her shoulder, "Pyrrha, can you get a clean shot at their eyes?"

"It's difficult with all the turbulence." Pyrrha admitted, "But I think if I try enough times, a few shots will likely hit."

Jaune fired another volley of plasma at the ship's pursuers to keep them off-balance before giving Pyrrha a thumbs up, "Sounds good. You using plasma or Dust?"

"I find that Vahlen's Elerium Dust is effective against soft targets, but relatively harmless if there's a good amount of armor, natural or otherwise. We've already proven that Earth Nevermores have thick hides, so I think plasma will be the safer option." Pyrrha said as she sighted her first victim down her rifle's scope, waited for a brief lull in the Skyranger's rumbling, and fired a three-round burst at the Grimm. All three balls of plasma splashed directly across the Nevermore's face, though the creature continued flying towards the ship despite screeching in pain.

A note of disapproval escaped Pyrrha's throat as she observed the results of her shot, "At least Nora's chem seems to be helping somewhat."

"Yeah, but we should have her save the rest of her supply for the big guy." Jaune pointed out, "Air grenades might be helpful, though."

"One step ahead of you!" Nora shouted, firing her grenade launcher once more. Three green canisters exploded from Magnhild's muzzle and detonated amidst the Nevermore in a swirling cloud of pressurized energy. The sudden shift in the local aerodynamics proved to be enough to force the Nevermore to a lower altitude, allowing Penny to line up a shot on the ship's pursuers.

" _Target locked!_ " An unfamiliar sound greeted Jaune's ears as he heard Penny's main weapon fire. Rather than the familiar sight of plasma striking the Grimm, Jaune saw tracer rounds puncture the toughened hide of the team's targets. Shortly thereafter, the Nevermore's skin rippled as multiple internal explosions rocked the lead Nevermore. Large bird unleashed one last shriek before it began a death spiral as it dropped out of the sky.

"Penny, what…?"

" _After analyzing Strike Five's first encounter with the Grimm, Dr. Vahlen decided to revisit XCOM's Gauss ballistics technology._ " Penny explained, " _I was instructed to perform field tests with the doctor's new Elerium-infused ammunition. I must say that it was quite successful!_ "

"Well I'm not complaining," Nora commented.

Jaune nodded in agreement, "Right. Keep at it, Nine. We'll do our best to soften up the targets for you."

"Well I'd prefer it if you could kill them sooner rather than later, kids." The pilot said dryly, "But I'll take whatever I can get. We've got two more squawkers trying to flank us, though. Bringing them into view… now."

Indeed, Jaune heard Penny's gauss weapon chatter before Papa Bear finished his bank and a pair of Nevermore swung into his team's firing lane. Without a word, the three of them opened up on the targets. Nora's explosives and Jaune's flak kept the Grimm off-balance while Pyrrha redoubled her efforts to score hits against the eyes. Each time the Nevermore flared their wings, the pilot pulled into a steep climb to evade the flurry of feathers. Despite the heavy g-forces, Jaune's team quickly learned to use this time to reload their weapons before Papa Bear could bring the targets back into view.

"What's the status on the big guy?" Jaune asked after one of the tailing Nevermore finally fell out of the sky.

"Taking its sweet time flying towards the train, but it's definitely got its eye on that rolling tin can." The pilot commented, "I guess it's looking for hor'deurves before the main course."

"Nine, got any more tricks up your sleeve to quickly take out our last tail?"

" _Negative, Five._ " Penny answered apologetically, " _But I will continue my assault until it is dead._ "

Jaune wracked his brain for a faster solution. The Nevermore cut short his time to think, however, when it suddenly flared up again in preparation for another attack. The pilot swore and quickly dropped into a nose dive to avoid the quillstorm. The three occupants inside the cargo hold hit the ceiling with a painful _thud_ as Papa Bear continued to arc downward. Or rather, Jaune crashed into the ceiling while his teammates landed gracefully. As Penny's cannon chattered in the background, Jaune struggled against the heavy g-forces to look out the back hatch to watch the steam of quills slowly catch up with the Skyranger.

When the first feather lodged itself within the gangplank, Jaune started to panic, "Give us a target, pops!"

"I'm doing my best to avoid getting Swiss Cheese'd." The pilot countered angrily, "Didn't have time to pull up, so now this fucker's got me right where it wants me."

By the time Jaune pulled himself up to his feet, the pilot finished his half-loop and rolled out of it, causing the hunter to once again fall unceremoniously into the corrugated metal of the hold. The Nevermore flew into view, and Pyrrha wasted no time in launching Miló at the Grimm's face. It pierced the flier's faceplate, but just barely. Without a word, Nora unclipped herself from the security line and charged out of the Skyranger. She vaulted off the gangplank, Magnhild raised high over her head, before slamming it down on the end of Pyrrha's spear and driving it straight through the Nevermore's skull. She yanked the red and gold blade out of the now-dead Grimm before using her hammer's explosive payload to launch herself back into the Skyranger.

Jaune stared blankly at the grinning Nora, failing to put together a coherent sentence, "Uhh… well, I… ah… that's… huh…"

"Don't worry, Jaune." Nora said with a cheerful pat, "Someday, it'll be your turn."

"Look alive, kids." Papa Bear called over the PA, "The huge one's about to reach the train. I hope you've managed to take care of our tail, 'cause we gotta boogie."

* * *

Glyph after glyph exploded beneath the Grimm chasing the train, yet the horde showed no signs of thinning. Bad luck reared its ugly head when an Ursa Major took the lead, since the armored Grimm could smash through any ice barriers Weiss threw up without even slowing down. Inside the train, Yang enjoyed better luck than her teammates. Only the most agile of the Grimm running from the stadium managed to catch the train, so she had little difficulty in beating the lesser Beowolves into submission as she worked her way towards the rear. Even so, more Grimm continued to steadily leap aboard through the caboose to escape the rooftop huntresses, and Yang soon found herself dealing with fresh meat faster than she could eliminate it.

The one upside Ruby could think of was that the train finally cleared the city. Not only did they have a clear view of their targets now, but the huntresses could go all-out without worrying about collateral damage. The point was rather moot, however: With more and more Grimm piling up inside the rear car with Yang, some of the Beowolves tried crawling along the outside walls as a way of bypassing the huntress. As a result, Ruby and Weiss had to prioritize clearing off the clingers over eliminating ranged targets.

The train crossed a bridge, forcing a large majority of the Grimm to follow across on the tracks. Weiss took a brief moment to throw down several burning glyphs at the choke point, which proved rather effective at eliminating some of the chaff. Still, plenty of tougher monsters remained in pursuit, and Weiss groaned in frustration.

"This isn't working very well." She complained, "Any idea when Bradford's air support is coming?"

"As soon as it can." Ruby answered tersely, her own frustration with the Grimm beginning to spill over into her conversation with Weiss, "We just need to hold out until they can bomb the horde."

That objective seemed a lot easier _before_ three Alphas leapt up onto the roof, growling menacingly at the two partners.

"Well that's just great." Weiss snapped, readying Myrtenaster to face off against the new threats. Ruby, however, had a different idea.

"Four, the caboose is a lost cause. Fall back to the next car."

"On it!"

Ruby turned to Weiss, "Think you can buy me three seconds?"

"Please. I can buy you four." Her partner bragged.

The huntresses leapt into action at the same time as the Alphas. Ruby heard a loud blast from below, indicating Yang's final blow to keep the boarding party busy while she dropped back to the next car. Weiss summoned an icy fist that knocked the front Alpha into its brethren while Ruby jumped down and cut free the connector holding the caboose to the rest of the train. The detached car began to immediately lose speed, and most of the Grimm were too busy trying to force their way aboard to realize that it was now a decoy.

Ruby vaulted herself back to the roof with Crescent Rose in time to see the Alphas leaping off of the caboose with fangs bared and claws outstretched in her direction. A glyph appeared beneath her feet, and Ruby wasted no time in kicking off and landing safely next to her partner.

"Guess it was too much to hope for that those things would stay with the caboose, huh?" Weiss asked, eyeing slowly approaching Grimm.

"Apparently." Ruby agreed. The duo readied their weapons and prepared to fight.

* * *

Blake and Ren quietly picked their way through the dark backrooms of the stadium. Flickering lights offered little in the way of illumination, but Blake's enhanced eyes pierced the darkness just fine without them.

"Lot's of destruction." Ren observed, "Plasma burns indicate an alien presence here as well."

Blake's eyes noticed several deep red stains on the concrete, "Blood, too. Do you think the aliens caused this, or the Grimm?"

Ren knelt down next to the nearest splatter and stared at it, "Hard to say, especially without any bodies. Could be that the aliens started the killing, which in turn summoned the Grimm to finish the job."

Either way, it still didn't explain the complete lack of bodies that Ren pointed out. Spilled peanuts and trampled hotdogs,, tatters of clothing, shattered glass… all signs pointed to murders, and yet neither one found a single corpse among the fallout. Blake initially attributed this to alien abductions, but then Ren pointed out a lack of the usual green cocooning material. Not only that, but HQ identified the UFO as a Terror ship and not an Abductor.

" _I just checked in with the local police,_ " Bradford informed the scouts, " _Saint Louis was in the middle of hosting a baseball game at Busch Stadium when the aliens attacked. I'm sure they tried their best to evacuate the building, but something tells me that isn't the reason you're not finding any bodies._ "

"This feels like one of those ghost stories I used to read." Blake muttered, "Soon, the tortured souls of those murdered here will come to attack us, thinking we're the bad guys."

Ren shrugged, "Good thing I never had time to read those kinds of stories while growing up. Guess I'll have to thank Nora for that when I see her. Let's head towards the field, see if there's anything that might help. Maybe it'll get you to stop thinking about ghosts while we're at it."

Blake rolled her eyes, but followed Ren towards the center of the stadium. Along the way, they continued to find signs of struggle as they passed cracked helmets, overturned food stands, and broken bottles. The aerodynamics of the hallway as they approached the field created a windy corridor that ruffled Blake's hair and whistled loudly. As soon as they stepped onto the field, the winds died down, and the pair of infiltrators found themselves face-to-face with…

Silence. While the corridors and individual rooms of the stadium weren't any louder, the sheer magnitude of open space on the field somehow made the silence all the more crushing. She could hear the sounds of gunfire far off in the distance, but that only seemed to magnify the sense of isolation she felt as she stepped out onto the field with Ren. Some burning grass here and a rolling beer can there reached Blake's ears, but the utter lack of human activity weighed down on her far more than she expected.

"Hey." Ren's voice called out, and Blake looked over to see a concerned expression on his face, "You okay?"

She nodded wordlessly, and the two continued their walk towards the pitcher's mound. They reached it with no trouble, and they looked around the stadium from their new vantage point. Unfortunately, neither Blake nor Ren picked up on anything beyond the carnage they already encountered.

"This ballpark looks pretty trashed." Blake observed. Indeed, while neither of them had the opportunity to enjoy an actual baseball game, they knew that swathes of broken seats and a sparking scoreboard with flickering numbers meant that today wasn't a typical day at Busch Stadium.

"You'd think that we'd find something, anything, out here would give us some information to relay back to Central." Ren sighed.

"Well, I'd say what we've seen so far is significant enough to warrant a report." Blake pointed out, "Human abductions that leave no trace are certainly something Vahlen will want to investigate."

Ren nodded, "Yeah. I just wish we had something more concrete to bring back. A device, strange markings, something. All we've got right n-" He cut himself off when he saw Blake tense up and her ears twitch, "… hear something?"

The sight of Blake unsheathing Gambol Shroud and dropping into a fighting stance told Ren everything he needed to know. He followed her lead, StormFlower appearing in his hands as he tuned out all the ambient noise and channeled his Aura in an effort to pick up on whatever spooked his friend. His heart dropped into his stomach as soon as he heard the sound of chitin clacking on chitin.

"Please tell me that's not what I think it is…"

Blake stared dead ahead at the dark hallway behind the dugout, and only a slight nod confirmed Ren's worst suspicions. If a couple of Ursa Major gave Pyrrha a hard time, how on earth could the two of them possibly take down _that_?

* * *

Ruby almost got knocked off the train by one of the Alphas when she heard Blake report in, "Tell me you're joking."

"She's not!" Ren replied, his shortness of breath all-but-confirming Blake's report of a Death Stalker in the stadium.

"Do you need us to help, Ren?" Nora called out over the comm.

"No." Blake answered, "Your priority is to keep the civilians alive. We need the Skyranger to keep the Nevermore distracted so it doesn't take out the train."

A flash of searing flame from Weiss brought Ruby's attention to the fight at hand, and she swept her scythe low in an attempt to cripple the hind legs of the singed Alpha. To her surprise, she managed to catch her foe completely off-guard and successfully amputated its legs entirely. The monster fell to the floor, howling in pain before Ruby crashed Crescent Rose through its chest.

"That's one." Weiss muttered before parrying a swipe from another Beowolf and countering with a stab at its flank.

Ruby returned to her conversation with Blake and Ren, "Well, you can either occupy it long enough for the Firestorms to arrive and take care of it, or try to bring it down yourselves. Either way, the cavalry should be arriving in about three minutes."

Once more Weiss interrupted Ruby by swearing and pointing to the sky, "We've got company."

The Giant Nevermore loomed dangerously overhead, and Ruby did the one thing she could think of to make sure the massive Grimm didn't attack the civilian car: she opened fire on the flier to draw its attention. Weiss deduced her partner's plan, and joined in with her own bolt attacks against the beast. Moments later, their target flared its wings and angled up to expose its underside to the huntresses.

"Run!" Ruby shouted. She and Weiss dashed along the train's roof as oversized quills pierced the thin aluminum around them. With a final leap, the two cleared the gap to the next car as the Nevermore soared overhead in preparation for another pass.

Ruby heard Yang laughing from below, "Just watched three little wolves get skewered from that. Collateral damage is a fickle mistress, ain't it? Still, this car's in bad shape from the attack, and I can already feel it slowing the train down. Want me to disconnect it, boss?"

"Do it." Ruby answered, keeping her attention split between the Nevermore and the Alphas. The flier banked hard for another strafing run, and Ruby used the recoil of her shot at one of the Beowolves to put enough distance between her and the Grimm so she could focus on the Nevermore. Just as the bird flared its wings, the Skyranger flew by, its occupants pelting the Nevermore with plasma, chemicals, and dust. The bird roared in anger and took off after Papa Bear's ship. With her air team keeping the major threat distracted, Ruby returned her attention to the two Alphas.

The first one leapt at the huntress, who ducked low and used Crescent Rose to fling the monster far behind her. Weiss summoned a platform glyph, and Ruby bounced off of it to launch herself forward at the recovering Grimm. With a mighty swing, one of the Beowolf's arms flew off and became lost to the wind. Still, the Alpha managed to stand back up and swipe at Ruby with its remaining arm. She deflected it with her scythe before sliding between the Grimm's legs and tripping it once more. With a brief window of opportunity before her, Ruby rapidly scanned her foe for the optimal striking point. Her eyes picked out a spiderweb crack in the bone armor covering its chest and a small chink in its faceplate above the monster's left eye.

In a split second, Ruby planted the muzzle of her rifle on the chest fracture and fired. The force of the blow simultaneously shattered the bony chestplate and sent Ruby skyward. She twisted around to re-orient herself before firing Crescent Rose several times in succession at the now-gaping wound.

"Weiss!" Her partner nodded and dashed over to the exposed chest cavity and stabbed it with an Elerium-coated Myrtenaster. The explosive Dust reacted immediately with the Grimm's flesh and turned the beast into bloody chunks.

Ruby froze when she heard Jaune shout over the comms, "Incoming!"

In her zeal to decommission the second Alpha, Ruby forgot to keep tabs on the Giant Nevermore, especially since she assumed the Skyranger had its attention. Razor-sharp feathers erupted all around her, and Ruby used the Recoil of her gun to carry her back to the hard surface of the train's roof. Weiss erected a makeshift ice barrier to offer meager protection from the storm of quills, but it lasted all of three seconds under the heavy pressure from the Nevermore. The two partners used the distraction to make a dash for the next car, feeling the train shudder as Weiss's barrier crumbled behind them. Moments later, the heavy assault subsided as the Grimm finished its second pass.

Ruby's relief quickly turned to horror when she heard a screeching of metal followed Yang over the comm, "Oh, _fuck_!"

Looking back, Ruby saw the rear car grinding to a halt on the tracks. Or what was left of it, anyway. The Nevermore's attack did a serious number on the car, destroying several wheels and shredding it to the point where the additional friction was enough to completely tear it away from the rest of the train. Ruby watched Yang burst through the roof of the receding vehicle as the Grimm began to swarm around it.

* * *

"Pyrrha! Arc Thrower!"

"Jaune! Are you _crazy?_ "

"Not as crazy as Yang will be dead if we don't do something! Nora's fastening my line to the rappelling cable, and she promises to keep it secure-"

"All set, boss!"

"So once again, Pyrrha… Arc Thrower!"

"We're having a very serious conversation about your spur-of-the-moment plans when we get back to base!" Pyrrha complained as black Auric energy pooled around her hands and Jaune's breastplate. As the Skyranger flew over the halted rail car in pursuit of the Giant Nevermore, Pyrrha put all of her soul's force into flinging her partner out the back of the ship and towards the stranded Yang. Seconds later, Jaune collided with his target, grabbing onto Yang tightly as his momentum threw the pair off the roof of the car and away from the Grimm snapping at their heels. If the impact didn't knock the wind out of him, the jerking action as his security line became taut definitely did. Still, he clung to Yang as if his life depended on it, and the duo found themselves airborne as the Skyranger swung upward to give Penny a clear shot at her prey.

"I'm not complaining about the rescue," Jaune heard Yang begin, "But are you _sure_ Pyrrha is happy to see you holding onto another woman like this?"

"Not funny, Yang!" Jaune choked out as his breath began to slowly return, "Just don't let go, alright?"

He heard Yang sigh dramatically before she shot a few of her own explosive shells at the Grimm, "Spoil sport."

Little by little, Jaune felt Nora slowly reeling the two in as the Skyranger danced across the sky with the Nevermore that served as both predator and prey. Jaune managed to clip Yang's body armor to his line, allowing him to worry less about dropping his friend. That didn't change how compromising their position looked, however, and Jaune felt his ears grow hot when he realized how close his face was to Yang's chest.

From behind, Jaune heard the Giant Nevermore shriek angrily, reminding the hunter that he currently faced far bigger problems. With his blood turning to ice, Jaune stole a look at the Grimm, only to immediately regret his decision. A gaping maw leading into the depths of the bird's throat greeted him as the Nevermore decided the pair of dangling hunters made an easier meal than either the train or the Skyranger.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune wailed into his mic.

"Working on it!" His partner shouted back. For a second time, Jaune felt a tug at his breastplate and the Nevermore's jaws closed around where he and Yang used to be moments before. Due to the added weight and lack of time to properly channel her semblance, however, Pyrrha failed to do more than bounce Jaune a few yards upward. Gravity pulled him back down, and Jaune landed on the Nevermore's back. When he had a moment to assess his surroundings, another idea formed in Jaune's mind.

"Nora, cut the line!" He instructed before turning to his passenger, "Hang on, Yang!" Jaune plunged Crocea Mors into the Grimm's back as a means of avoiding a very long fall.

" _JAUNE, ARE YOU CRAZY?!_ "

The radio crackled once more, " _Strike Eight, this is Eightball. We're on approach to your coordinates, and have eyes on your Grimm problem._ "

Jaune felt his security line go loose, and immediately got to work wrapping it around the hilt of his sword.

"Eightball, this is Actual." Ruby responded, "Do not engage the Giant Nevermore. Repeat, DO NOT engage the flier. We have operatives onboard working to bring it down. Focus on the contacts chasing the train by foot."

" _You have operatives on-? Actually, I'm not sure if I really want to know. We'll lock in on the ground targets. Eightball out._ "

By this time, Yang managed to get a solid foothold on the Grimm's back with Jaune's help. Behind them, they heard the Firestorms whiz by and commence their assault on the Grimm's ground forces. The two of them glanced at each other before nodding in silent agreement. With the Nevermore leveled out, Jaune pulled his sword from its back and vaulted forward to replant it closer to the bird's head. It shrieked again, and the two hunters winced at the sound.

"Kinda hurts when you're literally on top of the dumb bird, doesn't it…" Yang said.

Jaune nodded, "Agreed. The sooner we can bring this thing down, the better."

The Nevermore, however, had other ideas. It rolled 180 degrees in an attempt to unmount its passengers. The two hunters managed to get a firm grip on the tufts of hair covering the Grimm's back, but they didn't have time to develop a good foothold before the bird executed its stunt.

"Remind me again why you wanted the security line cut." Yang asked, teeth gritted in concentration.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time." Jaune offered weakly.

* * *

Ren dove towards the dirt on the field to avoid getting crushed between the Death Stalker's pincers snapping mere inches above his head.

"Safe…" he muttered sarcastically as his hand tapped the home plate before he rolled into a standing position to continue evading the massive Grimm. Dust rounds bounced harmlessly off of its tough shell as Blake tried to shoot it.

"Any ideas from the last time you took one of these down?" She asked as Gambol Shroud's magazine ran dry.

"Well, Pyrrha and Nora did most of the heavy lifting to bring it down…" Ren answered as he ran up the field's side wall to dodge a thrust from the creature's tail.

Blake rolled her eyes, "Of course they did."

"Hey, I resent that! But seriously, step one is probably taking out the stinger."

"Would you like to handle that, or should I pick up the slack in Nora's absence?" Blake said, a smirk growing on her face.

Ren dropped into a powerslide and raked his weapons along the fleshy underside of the Death Stalker as he skidded from front to back. While it failed to do any considerable amount of damage, the Grimm writhed in pain, and Ren used the distraction to leap up onto the creature's tail and begin hacking away at the joint connecting the stinger to the rest of the body.

Blake dashed in, searching for a way to keep the Death Stalker distracted while her teammate worked on the stinger joint. She raked her sword across one of its legs, and the Grimm immediately turned to face her before smashing its tail down to crush the blurry mess that was supposed to be Blake's shadow clone. Ren yelped as he held on tight to the swinging tail. Once Blake backed off and started to lead the Death Stalker on a merry chase around the outfield, Ren resumed working on the stinger.

"Maybe warn me next time before you antagonize the deadly scorpion." Ren grumbled.

When Blake leapt over the wall separating the field from the stands, the Grimm simply plowed through it to continue chasing her. She jumped from chair to chair, moving just fast enough to stay out of the Death Stalker's reach, but remaining close enough to serve as an enticing target.

"Almost done." Ren called out, though he spoke too soon. One of his cuts must have struck a particularly sensitive nerve in the monster's tail, and the appendage abruptly jolted back. The reaction caught Ren off-guard, and the hunter arced through the air before making a three-point landing back on the field. Blake noticed the Death Stalker's response caused the stinger to loll precariously, and stopped running away from her foe. The Grimm slammed its tail down once more in an effort to kill Blake, who backstepped slightly to evade the attack before countering with a forceful slash that completely disconnected the Death Stalker's stinger from its tail.

"Alright, that's taken care of," Blake noted while the monster clicked in pain, "What's next?"

Ren brushed himself off and thought about his answer, "Probably the eyes. After that, it probably won't pose much of a threat. Do you have any grenades that might help?"

"Just a flashbang." Blake answered, "Though that'll probably buy us some time to get some damage in." She leapt out from the stand and rolled onto the field to join Ren, pulling the grenade off her hip in preparation for their gambit. She waited for the wounded Grimm to stumble back onto the field after them before priming the Flashbang and gently rolling it towards her target. She timed it perfectly, as the Grimm ran right into the explosive's radius when it detonated before reeling back from the disorientation.

The two hunters wasted no time in rushing forward, with Ren leaping onto the Grimm's head and using StormFlower to gouge a pair of eyes while Blake fired plasma rounds at point-blank range into another. The Death Stalker lashed out with its claws in a feeble attempt to throw off its attackers before charging at the nearest wall in an effort to crush Ren. At the last second, he jumped off and watched the Grimm plow right through the wall. The impact triggered an idea in Ren's head, and he raced forward. He bounded up the Death Stalker's body, using the Grimm's face as a springboard to reach the seats above. With a target once again acquired, the creature gave chase.

Rather than run rings around the stadium like before, Ren continued to run straight up. He reached the point where the next level of seating hung directly overhead and jumped up to the higher ground. The Death Stalker, desperate for a kill, reached up and tried scaling the gap to continue its pursuit of Ren. As soon as its head cleared the barrier, the hunter delivered an Auric palm-strike to the Grimm's exposed underside, and the Death Stalker's precarious position allowed Ren's attack to send his foe tumbling back down the stadium seating. Ren jumped down and buried StormFlower in the fleshy underbelly of the Death Stalker. Like an athlete atop the world's deadliest surfboard, Ren rode the Grimm the entire way back down to the field. As it crashed into the green turf of the outfield, he got to work tearing up as much flesh as he could.

Blake, seeing this as their chance to finish the fight once and for all, ran in to assist Ren. She threw her pistol at the Death Stalker and used the anchored blade to yank herself forward towards her prey. Once she joined her teammate, the duo wasted no time in cutting deeper and deeper into the exposed, fleshy matter. Finally, a heavy thrust from Blake resulted in yellowish pus erupting from the depths of the Death Stalker's abdomen, and the thrashing Grimm fell still.

Blake wrinkled her nose at the foul-smelling fountain her weapon created, "That's… absolutely disgusting."

Ren looked at his friend, then at himself. The two of them were absolutely covered in black tar and gore, and Ren couldn't help but find some comedy in their current situation. He gave the Death Stalker's head a light kick before commenting, "Almost makes you want to bring it back to base and see if the doctor can find a way to mount its shell atop the Skyranger as a sort of trophy or something."

"Not really," Blake disagreed, "But then again, I'm barely staying conscious from the smell right now. Ask me again in about an hour."

Ren chuckled, "Fair enough. If it'll make you feel better, I can run your clothes through the wash once we get back to HQ so you don't have to spend even more time with this stuff. My way of saying 'thanks for having my back,' or something to that effect."

"… I might just take you up on that." Blake answered Ren's smile with a small one of her own, "Thanks."

* * *

When the Nevermore returned to an upright position, both Yang and Jaune let out a sigh of relief. Jaune made a mental note to buy Ruby a drink for figuring out that a shot from Crescent Rose to the Grimm's eye did the trick in convincing the damn bird to flip back over.

"Any ideas?" Yang asked, "I love Ember Celica, but blunt force trauma never seemed to work on these guys before."

"Well, maybe it'll work better if I can get you a clear shot at its insides." Firmly gripping a tuft of black feathers to steady himself, Jaune stood up on the Nevermore's back and tossed Yang the free end of his safety line. While Yang worked to fasten herself to Jaune once more, he looked at the sword in his hand.

"I'm not sure how you did what you did earlier," Jaune said quietly, "But I could sure use a little more of that magic right about now."

"Line's set." Yang shouted, "Whatever you're planning, now is a good time to do it."

The Grimm banked hard in an effort to throw off its riders, but Jaune held firm. His heart pounded against his ribcage as he lifted Crocea Mors high over his head. Jaune loosed a furious roar and swung the sword down in a flash of light.

Yang's ears rang once again with the screaming sound of the wounded Nevermore and painfully bright spots clouded her eyes. The huntress clung tightly to the Nevermore's back as blinked several times to clear her vision. When she could see again, Jaune stood before her with sword in hand and black blood plastered all over his body. While the blood alone concerned Yang, she noticed that his sword looked a lot bigger than she remembered it. Her attention quickly shifted to the Grimm when she realized that the source of Jaune's bloodied visage stemmed from a gaping wound her friend sliced open at the base of the Nevermore's neck.

She cracked a grin, "Think you can do that a few more times?"

Jaune nodded and hefted his sword for another strike. Yang noticed that, while his sword definitely looked bigger now, he wielded it as if it weighed the same as it used to. Like a farmer harvesting his wheat, every swing of Jaune's sword ripped out more of the Nevermore's flesh. The bird slowly began to lose altitude as Jaune brought it closer and closer to death. Desperate to remove its attacker, the Nevermore snapped its head back and smashed its skull directly into Jaune's chest. As her friend flew back over her head, Yang grabbed Jaune by his ankle and slammed him back down onto the Grimm's back.

"I'm alright." Jaune choked out, "Finish it off."

Without needing encouragement, Yang quickly bounded up to where Jaune previously stood. She ripped away a slab of loose muscle with one hand and saw the white skull underneath. With her free fist, Yang began to unleash a flurry of blows into the Grimm's head wound. The sound of loud cracks reached her ears as the Nevermore's interior shell gave way to her relentless assault. With a few more punches, the skull broke away completely and exposed several important-looking organs to the raging huntress.

The Grimm screeched once more before falling into a dive, its final effort to kill the hunters. Jaune looked up to see the ground rapidly approaching and let out a not-quite-human sound before saying, "Yang? Can we possibly wrap this up in the next ten seconds?"

"Working on it." Yang growled. Her left gauntlet ran dry of Dust rounds, and the huntress switched to using her other hand to punch the Nevermore's brain into a bloody pulp. Each thrust drilled deeper into the head wound as more of the Grimm's innards became pulverized. With a click, Yang realized that her second cuff also had no ammunition left. She reached back, grabbed Jaune's safety line, and gave it a yank. With a yelp, he slid forward until he lay right next to her. Yang readjusted her grip on the now-loose line and looped it forward. She grinned as the rope dropped perfectly into the Nevermore's open mouth and pulled back hard on the line.

The flier, too weak to resist the huntress's pull, had no choice but to allow its head to be pulled back. Just as Yang hoped, the body followed suit. While the duo didn't have enough time to completely pull out of the dive, Yang's idea drastically raised their chances of survival as the ground rose up to meet them. With a thunderous crash, the Nevermore collided with the earth, and the two hunters were knocked clear of the body.

" _I have eyes on the Nevermore."_ Jaune heard Penny chirp over the comms, " _Four and Five are okay!_ "

Behind them, they could feel the heat as Eightball and his wingman strafed the Grimm horde for a second time. Balls of superheavy plasma exploded along the tracks, and Jaune's jaw vibrated from the chatter of Phoenix Coilguns shredding anything that survived. The train screeched to a halt, the Skyranger landed in a field nearby, and silence fell across the countryside.

" _Sensors show all contacts down, Actual._ " Eightball reported.

Jaune heard Blake's voice on the comm, "Death Stalker at Busch has also been dealt with."

" _Understood. Do you want us to stick around for any surprises?_ "

"That would be appreciated, Eightball." Ruby answered, "We should be able to get these civilians back to the city shortly, so you won't have to wait long."

" _No problem, kid. That was a seriously ballsy gambit you pulled off. We're happy to be of service._ "

"If you have a moment, Colonel. I have a favor to ask."

" _I've always got time for the Doorninator._ " The Firestorm pilot answered with a chuckle, " _What can I do for you, sir?_ "

"Well, there's this little courthouse that sits just in front of the Gateway Arch. A pretty little thing, but I've never been too fond of what it represents."

Jaune and Yang shared a confused look, not sure where Van Doorn was going with this.

Neither was Eightball, it seemed, "… _Sir?_ "

"Does the name Dred Scott mean anything to you, Colonel?"

" _It… does, sir. But I don't think its destruction is justified. Rule thirty-_ "

"Colonel, this is Three." Blake cut in, "Eight and I scouted downtown for signs of Grimm activity at the Busch Stadium. While en route, we discovered evidence that strongly suggests the courthouse is a spawning point for the enemy. I fully support the Field Commander's suggestion to level it."

" _I… understood, Tech Sergeant. Plotting an approach vector for the courthouse._ "

* * *

"Hey."

Blake looked up to see Ren walking over with a pair of cups filled to the brim with amber liquid. He sat down next to Blake on the roof of the stadium and passed her one of the cups. Their vantage point didn't offer the best view for the impending fireworks, but Blake wasn't feeling picky at the moment.

"Figured that we may as well take advantage of the concessions here, since nobody else is."

Blake smiled, "Thanks."

"It's only a beer Blake." Ren said with a laugh, "Think nothing of it."

"No, not that. I mean, thanks for not saying anything on the comms about the courthouse."

Ren nodded in understanding, "I could tell that this means a great deal to you, though I must admit I'm not entirely sure why."

"Dred Scott v. Sandford represented a rather ugly part of American history." Blake explained, "A part that deals with slavery, oppression, and the idea that one race of people considered themselves to be superior to another." She gave Ren a pointed look, "Sound familiar?"

"Ah." Ren took a sip of his beer and gestured at the courthouse, "And I'm guessing that some sort of landmark decision was made there? How'd you know about all this?"

Blake shrugged, "I read up on Earth's history when my team first arrived. Curiosity got the better of me, and I wanted to see how much or how little it shared with Remnant's past. Turns out the answer was 'more than I would have liked.'"

"I should have known." Ren said with a laugh.

"I didn't make the connection that this courthouse was the one where the decision was passed until Van Doorn mentioned it." She added

Ren smirked, "It sounds to me like part of the Field Commander's motivation for blasting this building was for your sake. Just another reason why he's the most respected soldier at XCOM, I guess." He pointed up to the sky, "Hey look, here we go."

The Firestorm came in low and fast from across the river. It passed underneath St. Louis's famous arch before unloading its plasma cannons into the courthouse. The structure went up in flames, and the two hunters tapped glasses as they watched the building collapse into ruin.

Ren took another swig from his cup, "Score one for the good guys."

"Score one for the good guys." Blake agreed.

* * *

A/N: For those unfamiliar, Dred Scott v. Sandford was a court decision that ruled African Americans could not be American citizens, and therefore had no legal rights. It was brought to my attention that the courthouse where this took place was in St. Louis, and the idea of slipping it into the chapter became pretty attractive.


	32. Skunkworks

A/N: HOLY SHIT, NEW XCOM 2 TRAILER. Erry'body, go watch it now. No, seriously... this chapter can wait. You need to see the trailer. I even have a link to it on my profile page for your convenience. Come back after you've had a moment to pick your jaw up off the floor.

* * *

A stout foreman strode into the Hyperwave Relay chamber and clapped his hands to get everyone's attention, "Alright, we got a new shipment coming in from the Wizard of Oz. Let's make sure we're all ready to receive it"

One of the technicians on duty flipped a switch and the relay hummed in response to the influx of new power. A small gate-like structure adjacent to the relay began to glow with a familiar purple energy.

"Vahlen's new transfer gate is showing no signs of instability, sir." The tech called out, "I guess this means we won't be having any more guests face-planting into the concrete upon arrival?"

"More like we won't be opening cases full of cracked Dust vials and wrecked food packages due to the ten-foot drop. But yeah, same idea. All we've confirmed so far is that the gate is stable, however. We don't actually know if it will normalize the incoming velocity of objects traveling across the rift. We'll know for sure in about…" The foreman trailed off and checked his watch, "… now."

The gate flashed purple, and metal crates began to shoot out at twenty-four second intervals. The supply caches slid about five feet before coming to a halt, allowing the technicians on staff to pull them out of the way and examine the box's contents before the next one came through.

"Found the manifest, sir." One of the techs called out, holding up a small sheaf of paper.

The foreman nodded and grabbed the shipping list from his subordinate, "Let's have a look, shall we? Hmmm… the usual supply of grub for the mess hall, plus a few new entrees it looks like. I swear, we're gonna need to establish a steady food supply from these Remnant types after the war's over. A bunch of our guys are getting addicted to the flavors of Mistral and Vacuo… alright, more Dust for our operatives to use and the Doc to fiddle with, nothing new here… A message for Operative Lie, and Oz requests that we respect the sensitivity of it contents by not having a look ourselves. Eh, Ren's a good guy, and it's kinda amusing how often I catch him meditating down here at odd hours of the morning, so why not? I'll get this to him when Strike Eight gets back from that terror op."

"What else…" The foreman muttered as he shuffled to the next page, "Aha! The good stuff! New shit for Shen's boys to play with. We've got a shipment of metallurgical samples for Doc One and Doc Two to analyze and modify our hardware with. Also a bit of non-proprietary AI software in here. We can probably use it to improve the operational runtime of our SHIVs, MEC Battle Computers, and whatever else Vahlen can think of. Couple of hunter weapons for us to strip down and run tests on. And finally…" He squinted at the last item on the manifest, "What's this…"

"Uh, sir? The last crate was overstuffed with packaging and protective lining. All that we found inside was this datapad underneath all the padding. Here." The tech handed the piece of hardware over to the foreman, who turned it on and began to examine the tablet's contents. Within seconds, his eyes grew wide, and he almost choked in surprise.

"Sweet baby Jesus… Stoli, go get Shen." The foreman flicked his finger across the datapad to examine the next page, "Something tells me he's gonna want to see this ASAP."

* * *

Bradford watched the Skyranger descend onto the landing pad. Feet shoulder-width apart, hands held firmly behind his back, the Central Officer wore his usual demeanor of never-ending confidence and professionalism as the aircraft's gangplank lowered to reveal the members of Strike Eight.

"Well, that mission was certainly… interesting." He greeted as Ruby stepped off the ramp.

Ruby cocked an eyebrow, "Are you talking about the seemingly endless horde of Grimm, our use of the Skyranger as a weapons platform, the train gambit, or Jaune's incredibly stupid-yet-effective rescue and subsequent Nevermore takedown?"

"Pretty much all of it." Bradford answered, "You do realize that when you and Van Doorn are discussing 'something that Bradford shouldn't know about,' I can hear your entire conversation, right?"

The Field Commander laughed as he followed Ruby off the Skyranger, "That bit was entirely for your benefit, sir. As the ranking officer on that mission, sir, I will gladly accept any punishment you have in mind for the Lieutenant on her behalf."

"And as the mission leader," Ruby countered, glaring at Van Doorn, "I will gladly accept any punishment you have in mind for the Field Commander on his behalf."

"Then you can both get started on your week's worth of kitchen duty, but only _after_ we've conducted a proper debrief of the operation. If your team could follow me to Mission Control…"

Strike Eight walked with Bradford, sticking with their usual pairings for the most part. While Van Doorn and Ruby talked with Bradford, Penny whirred alongside Weiss and complimented Ruby's partner on her masterful use of glyphs during the battle. Yang kept trying to hop on Blake's back for 'chicken fights,' much to the latter's dismay, while Nora whined to Ren about why he refused to answer Yang's challenge. Jaune and Pyrrha brought up the rear, content to just walk in silence and observe the silly antics of the rest of their team. After the events of their latest mission, a little bit of playful unwinding probably did more help than harm.

Eventually, the team arrived at the conference room adjacent to the anthill's information hub and filed in to take their seats around the long table. Doctors Vahlen and Shen were already waiting for them inside. Once everyone finished settling down, Bradford started the discussion, "Alright, we've got a lot of points to cover, so is there a specific topic that anyone would like to get to first?"

"The source of the Grimm." Blake suggested.

"Fair enough. Is there any information you'd have to offer on the subject, Sergeant? I must say that this is also a topic of great concern for the rest of us. If the deployment of Grimm is a tactic that the aliens are capable of using at will… well, we need to wrap up this war sooner rather than later."

"When Ren and I scouted Busch Stadium searching for signs of Grimm activity during the train chase, we found surprisingly little."

"Too little, in fact." Ren added, "Signs of destruction were everywhere, but we couldn't find any bodies. If it wasn't for the pair of Beowolves that ambushed us early on and the Death Stalker out on the field, we wouldn't have even known there were Grimm involved, either."

"Speaking of the Beowolves, there was one interesting thing I noticed after we killed them." Blake said, "We stuck around for a minute to observe any post-death activity. While most of the body remained as an intact carcass, some material did evaporate off the corpses, as we've seen in the past. The interesting part is that while there was no breeze or crosswind in the room, all the material seemed to float off in the same direction before vanishing entirely."

"Interesting…" Vahlen commented, "I have conducted some research on the Grimm material provided by Strike Five, but I haven't reached any conclusions based on my findings. What I have learned is that Grimm matter is very adaptive, as its chemical structure allows it to change phases seemingly without the addition or removal of energy. After being left inside a containment device for a full day, nothing remained visible except for a small amount of yellow paste where the Grimm carcass once lay. I tried to run an analysis on the leftover material, but it didn't match with any material I've ever heard of."

"When we cut too deep into the Death Stalker, we also got sprayed with a jet of yellow liquid." Blake remembered.

"That is simultaneously fascinating and disturbing." Bradford muttered before glancing at Vahlen, "Do you think you'll be able to learn more given enough time?"

Vahlen nodded, "In light of what our operatives have discovered, it may be in our best interest if I begin to analyze the physical properties of these specimens rather than their chemical composition."

"I don't think I need to remind you to be careful." Bradford warned, "We know that Earth Grimm material behaves differently than the Grimm our friends are familiar with, so we have no idea how dangerous this stuff is. I want to get to the bottom of this as much as you do, but let's make sure we do it right the first time."

Vahlen made a few notes on her datapad before answering, "Of course. For now, I think I have enough information to begin formulating new experiments. Let's table the Grimm discussion and move on."

"Penny's ballistics proved very useful against Grimm hide." Pyrrha stated, "She told us that Doctor Vahlen equipped her with gauss technology to determine if it was more effective against the Grimm than Dust or plasma. I can't say if it's better or worse than the alternatives, but it certainly is capable of punching through the surface. Perhaps a combination of Dust and gauss technology into a single bullet type would be a good combination to countering our new foe."

Bradford nodded, "It's worth trying, at least." He turned to Shen, "We could also try reviving our old idea for Venom rounds. I know we abandoned them because the mutons were too resistant for the acid to actually be effective, but perhaps against Grimm…?"

"I will pull up those old files and see if anything we've learned since then can be used to strengthen the chemical's potency." Shen said, "Additionally, it shouldn't be too difficult to draft up the experimental ammunition described by miss Nikos. I will do my best to ensure that we have at least a few prototypes ready before the next strike team is deployed."

"Good. If it turns out that gauss tech is our ace in the hole against the Grimm, it'll give our operatives a way to even the playing field a bit when the hunters aren't there to deal with the problem."

"Wouldn't mind upgrading Crescent Rose with gauss technology." Ruby commented, "If it works better against Earth Grimm, I can only imagine how awesome it is against the ones on Remnant."

Shen nodded, "I would be happy to work with you and develop the necessary modifications . Sadly, I do not think it will work well with explosive weapons like Ember Celica or Magnhild, but I believe we can develop modifications for hunter weapons that use ballistic munitions."

"If that's settled," Bradford said, "I want to shift gears here. It seems we have several contingency plans in development to deal with our Grimm friends, so I'd like to bring our operatives up to speed with our strategy to deal with the aliens." He turned to look at Ruby, "Do you remember that strange device you helped Colonel Zhang recover during your joint strike op?"

"My head was a little fuzzy, in case you forgot." Ruby pointed out, "But I do remember that big, purple thingy on the ship, yeah."

"Well, I had Vahlen assign a team to immediately begin researching the devices purpose in one of the HQ's more remote labs. Figured that if the alien's were keeping it on an invisible and heavily defended ship, it's something they didn't want us to get our hands on. As it turns out, the good doctor has confirmed my suspicions. Vahlen?"

The Chief Scientist cleared her throat, "Ever since we encountered the psionic power of the Sectoid Commander in our first base assault, a small part of me wondered if they are orchestrating the invasion through a sort of psychic of communication. Could there be some sort of universal communication pool they use to coordinate their actions with, for the lack of a better term, 'alien high command?' The Hyperwave Relay, while certainly a transdimensional communication device, did not confirm my theory that psionics played a role in their system. Then, we encountered the Ethereals, who possessed the Commander's power tenfold and displayed skills far beyond any we'd seen thus far. When the techs rolled that device into my lab, the first goal I set for myself was to either confirm or debunk this slowly developing theory."

Vahlen made a few keystrokes on her ever-present datapad, summoning a holographic model of the device on the table, "As it turns out, I wasn't far from the truth. If what we've learned from this device is accurate, then the Ethereals don't simply hand down orders to the lesser races from information received through their psionic network: they _control_ the lesser races, similar to how a queen bee controls her hive. If we can find a way to safely tap into this network, we could potentially gain insight into the plans, motives, and general knowledge of the invaders.

"Of course, safety to our operatives and the base as a whole is of paramount concern. My team is working on the theory behind a facility that can safely insulate itself from the rest of HQ while a volunteer attempts to make contact using the device. Led by a pair of brothers who brought the design plans to my attention in the first place. This 'Gollop Chamber' will take time to design and construct, but I firmly believe that it is our best bet for finding an exploitable weakness in the invasion. However, I believe it is a weakness we can use to shut down the offensive entirely."

Bradford hummed pensively, "How long do you think it will take for this chamber to be ready, doctor?"

"Accounting for the theoretical science that needs to be fine-tuned, along with how long it should take Shen's team to build the chamber itself… I would say we're looking at a month."

"Then we're on a short timetable here." Bradford stated.

Ruby gave him a quizzical look, "… Sir?"

"If Vahlen's analysis is accurate, then activating the Gollop Chamber may very well stir the proverbial hornet's nest. They'll know we have access to their top intel, and so they will go all-out to crush us before we can defeat them. Their behavior so far has demonstrated that their plans for Earth don't include mass extinction, otherwise they would have done so already. After we get an operative inside their hive mind? That might change. So whatever objectives we have right now need to be accomplished before that facility is completed. Tech upgrades, training, equipment construction… the moment that device is activated, we are on the clock to bring down the invaders once and for all."

Silence pervaded the room following Bradford's speech while Vahlen's hologram continued to rotate in front of everyone. Pyrrha cleared her throat and stood up, "In that case, Jaune and I have some business we need to attend to. Unless you had any additional matters to discuss…?"

Bradford shook his head, "I think that about concludes things here, miss Nikos. I think we all have projects that need wrapping up now that the end is in sight. For example, your headmaster Ozpin would probably like to be appraised of these latest developments, so I should get started on my report for him. Squad dismissed."

As the team got up to leave, Bradford locked eyes with Blake before glancing over at van Doorn. The huntress got the message and quietly made her way over to the Field Commander and tapped him before he had the chance to leave. After everyone else filed out of the debriefing room, Bradford cleared his throat.

"So… I probably don't need to explain why I've held you two back for a minute."

Van Doorn stared evenly at the Central Officer, "No sir."

"And I probably don't need to tell you that destruction of a national landmark, regardless of what it represents, goes against just about everything XCOM stands for."

"No sir." Van Doorn answered, his expression still stony.

After a brief, awkward silence, Bradford sighed, "Do you have anything to say in defense of your actions?"

Blake was about to speak up, to apologize for the spur-of-the-moment decision, when the Field Commander spoke first, "I'd do it again, given the opportunity, sir."

The moment Bradford brought his hand to his face and sighed into his palm, van Doorn caught Blake's eye and gave her a wink. Blake couldn't help it; she smiled at the gesture.

Bradford pinched the bridge of his nose, mild frustration evident in his words, "You realize that I'm looking at a solid afternoon of paperwork and conference calls to sort this out, don't you?"

"Yes, sir."

"Here's the thing, Pete. Literally _everyone_ here looks up to you. I honestly don't know if I'd have gotten this far if Strike One didn't pick you up way back in April of 2015."

"You could also say the same thing for Sergeant Belladonna and her allies."

Bradford gave van Doorn a look that clearly said, 'I know where you're trying to go with this, and I hate the fact that you're right.'

Blake waited patiently while the two men carried out their staring contest in silence. Eventually, Bradford broke first with a groan, "This is your one free pass, understand? Pull something like that again, and I'll feed you to the Council of Poorly Lit Bald People."

"Rule Eighty-Seven, sir."

"Dismissed." Bradford said, struggling to conceal his smirk.

As they stepped through the doorway, van Doorn wordlessly fistbumped Blake before the two parted ways.

* * *

"Sergeant Arc. Nikos." Zhang nodded at each of the operatives standing before him, "I want you to know that the gravity of this situation is not lost on me. As I understand it, the discovery of one's semblance is a significant event in the culture of you hunters. I am deeply honored by the fact that you have asked me to help you master yours, Jaune Arc."

Pyrrha nodded, "Your method of training, while certainly different than mine, yielded undeniable results. Jaune seems to respond well to adversity, as he's proven time and again. So as much as I would like to be the one to help him discover his semblance, it would be a mistake to not call upon your assistance in light of all he's accomplished because of it."

"You and I are going to have a conversation someday about your sense of self worth, Nikos," Zhang said with a raised eyebrow, "But that is not the reason you have called me here, so I will speak no more of it."

His attention returned to Jaune, and the hunter snapped to rigid attention out of pure instinct, "Master Sergeant Jaune 'Dakka' Arc. As you are my student, it is my obligation to ensure you are in top condition when you are sent out to wage war on behalf of XCOM. You have done well thus far to prove your mettle, and your skills at present have been sufficient to get you where you are today. Once the aliens pull out all the stops, that will change. And therefore, so must you."

The Colonel smiled as the usual look of determination took up residence on Jaune's face, "Tell me, Arc… what is your semblance?"

"To my knowledge, sir, it is my Aura physically augmenting my sword and shield, allowing me to cut deeper and withstand heavier blows than would otherwise be possible."

Zhang nodded, "An ability truly worthy of one whose physical and spiritual constitution is as great as yours. I can see why you would want to carry such an advantage into combat. How do you activate it?"

"That's the problem," Jaune sighed, "I don't really know. I've used it twice, but it wasn't a planned action. My semblance just seemed to activate itself."

"Describe the situations for me, please."

"Yes, sir. The first time, I saw a Sectopod about to fire upon operative Valkyrie with a rear-mounted plasma cannon. Given what we've seen of a Sectopod's power and how effective plasma is against Aura, I knew that she would be seriously injured or worse. I did the only thing I could think of and threw myself between her and the attack, using my shield to hopefully absorb the worst of the damage. The cannon fired, I felt no pain, and suddenly my shield seemed to be projecting solid Aura in a way that protected my entire body, and my sword was also encased in white. When I go to counterattack the Sectopod, Crocea Mors cut deeper and faster than it should have."

Zhang remained silent, and Jaune took that as his cue to continue, "Second situation: Operative Xaio Long and I found ourselves on the back of an airborne Nevermore."

Pyrrha wanted to yell, ' _After someone decided to cut their safety line!'_ Somehow, she felt that Zhang wouldn't appreciate the comment and opted to remain silent.

"I knew Yang could kill the bird no problem, but she needed a way to get past the tougher hide of the beast. I thought that if I could cut through the skin on the back of the Nevermore's neck, then my partner could easily attack the Grimm's brain and drop it out of the sky." He looked at Zhang and shrugged, "There's not much more to the story than that, sir. I raised me sword, yelled, and swung it at the bird's neck. Just like the first time, my semblance decided to kick in."

"It appears that miss Nikos is correct in more ways than she realized." Zhang mused, "She claims that you respond well to adversity, and that is the defining feature I see in both instances as you have described them. Your teammate is in trouble? Better put yourself between her and certain death. Riding atop a giant Grimm, and your only option for survival is through the neck? Sounds like a Hail Mary swing is in order."

"Hail Mary…?"

The Colonel chuckled, "Never mind, it's not important. What _is_ important, however, is the fact that you seem to be somewhat of a daredevil, Arc. When your blood gets pumping, that's when you perform miracles. Now, the only question that remains is what the actual trigger for your semblance is. Does it only awaken when you come to the aid of an ally? Or is a simple fight-or-flight adrenaline rush sufficient? This is what I aim to find out."

"Make sense," Jaune said with some hesitation, "How do you plan to do that?"

"Well, step one is to get your pulse up. Of course, you probably don't believe I would seriously hurt you, and so fighting me with that mindset will get you nowhere. We need to fix that."

Without giving Jaune time to react, the fully-kitted Zhang punched the young hunter square in the gut. The servos in the Colonel's Titan armor allowed him to deliver a far greater blow than would ordinarily be possible, and Jaune skidded across the floor of the live fire hall. His heart almost stopped when he heard Zhang say to his partner, "Miss Nikos, if you would be so kind as to pull him back here."

The Colonel cleared his throat when Pyrrha began to walk towards Jaune, "Magnetically, Sergeant."

"I…!" Pyrrha started to say. Zhang must have given her a truly terrifying look, because she quickly added, "Yes, sir."

A moment later, Jaune felt himself sailing across the hall once more. As he started to get back to his feet, a metal knee to his face sent Jaune reeling back.

"Too slow, Arc. Get your act together, or your Aura's going to drain long before you even reach a standing position. Nikos? Again."

The floor flew by Jaune's face as Pyrrha's semblance once again sent him airborne. A titanic swing from Zhang mid-flight knocked the wind out of Jaune's lungs as he continued to careen past his mentor.

"Do you still feel safe with me, Jaune?" Zhang asked icily, "Or are you going to stand up and show me what you're made of?"

As Jaune crashed to the floor, he used his momentum to roll up to his feet and deflected Zhang's next bone-shattering punch. He gritted his teeth as the force of the blow caused him to see double, but he quickly shook himself back to reality in time to dive out of the way of a high-velocity kick. He brandished his sword, only to yelp in surprise as a small bolt of plasma splashed into his hand and forced him to drop the weapon.

"Who said you could fight back?" Zhang asked, a pistol in his hand, "This isn't about combat, Arc, this is about _survival_. Now show me what you're made of!"

Guilt twisted in Pyrrha's stomach as she watched the Colonel continue to beat her partner until blood began to trickle down Jaune's face. It didn't help that Zhang would occasionally ask her to pull Jaune around the room if the Colonel accidentally launched him too far. While she believed that Zhang had Jaune's best interests at heart, she wondered if she could find a better way to help her best friend. Still, Zhang's point about how Jaune responds well to adversity proved itself twice already: first with his Gunner training and then when he helped Vahlen with the Aura research.

"Once more, Nikos."

Pyrrha sighed, focused on her bruised and battered partner, and launched him skyward. Much to Pyrrha's surprise, she watched as Jaune twisted himself around at the apex of his trajectory to face Zhang shield-first. Zhang's fist collided with Jaune's shield, and a telltale flash of white consumed the room. When the stars cleared from Pyrrha's eyes, she saw Jaune standing over the Colonel's prone body. Auric energy radiated outward from Jaune's shield and, strangely enough, from his breastplate and spaulders. Wherever his usual armor failed to offer protection, his Aura flowed outward to pick up the slack.

Jaune noticed this as well, and he tapped the latest addition to his armor to test its strength, "Well… this is new."

A laugh turned to cough fit from below pulled Jaune's attention to Zhang, who wore a smile despite the blood trickling down from his broken nose "And thus, the claws finally come out. Well done, Jaune. The next time you take miss Nikos to the lounge for drinks, tell the bartender to put it on my tab."

Zhang let Jaune help him to his feet, and the Colonel examined his new injury, "I'd offer to keep helping you, but I think Vahlen would be furious if I didn't let her attend to this first. So for now, try to think about what exactly was going through your head leading up to your semblance activating, and see if your partner can help you recreate it. I'll be back in a few hours to check on your progress."

Before the Colonel left the room, he paused for a moment as if another thought occurred to him. He turned around and added, "Oh, and maybe practice the whole 'launch Jaune at the enemy' thing, I believe you call it Arc Thrower? After witnessing it firsthand today, I can definitely see some applications for the technique."

* * *

Ruby, too busy focusing on the disassembled Crescent Rose laying in front of her, didn't notice the door open to Shen's private shop. She only noticed the presence of her guest when she heard a curious Weiss ask from over her shoulder, "Working on the gauss modifications, I take it?"

"Oh!" Ruby said, almost jumping in surprise, "Hey, Weiss. Yeah, Shen helped me strip down a few of XCOM's own rifles so I could see how the tech works. He got called away for some pressing matter on the manufacturing floor, but he let me stay here to keep working while he left with Penny to fix the problem." Ruby turned her attention back to her gun, "How's the Dust research going with Vahlen?"

Weiss pulled up a chair so she could sit down next to her partner, "It's going well, I think. As the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, father made sure I was well-versed in how we weaponize our product. While it's a bit tricky making sure the Dust doesn't detonate before it's delivered past the toughened hide of the Grimm, Vahlen and I make a good team." She smiled at Ruby, "Kinda like how you and Shen work well together."

"Well, I'm glad you're having a good time, Weiss. So what brings you down here?" Ruby asked as she continued her work with a soldering iron.

"Well, Annette said wanted to see you at some point, though it didn't sound urgent. Something about another one of your 'sessions,' which I'm guessing is related to your psionic therapy?"

Ruby nodded, "Yeah, I guess therapy's a good word for it. She did some minor stuff the first time just to help me be more functional, but said she'd be happy to go further after I field-tested her first round of modifications. I mean, hey… if I've got this psychic stuff rattling around in my head, I might as well use it, right?"

"Right…" Weiss answered.

Something seemed off to Ruby, who put away her iron and faced her partner, "Hey, are you alright? You sound kinda… well… not Weiss-y."

Weiss shrugged, "I'm not sure. Before, it seemed like we had a good handle on things. Kill aliens, save civilians, make progress. Now, it feels like this Grimm problem is starting to spiral out of control, the whole 'mind network' thing Vahlen discovered is kinda terrifying, and now Bradford sounds like he's committing himself to this 'all-in' gambit with the Gollop Chamber. I'm just… I guess I'm feeling a little shaky is all."

The feeling of a small hand gently touch her shoulder made Weiss look up and see Ruby smiling back at her, "All that is scary, yeah, but don't forget what _we_ have. Our Auras are up and running, Blake and Yang don't have to fight in MECs anymore, and Vahlen is working hard to understand the Grimm situation here. We have the real Penny on our team helping us out, Ozpin is sending us supplies whenever he gets the chance, and the troop morale at XCOM is at an all-time high, in no small part thanks to you."

When Weiss didn't say anything, Ruby took that as an opportunity to continue, "We're making the absolute best out of a horrible situation. We agreed to that the first day we arrived here, didn't we? Not only that, but we've had a hand in shaping the course of this war for XCOM, and we're saving millions of lives across the globe. And on a personal level, we're getting a _crazy_ amount of real combat experience. Six months worth of fighting in a war compressed into two Remnant weeks? We're going to be leagues ahead of our classmates thanks to an opportunity none of them will ever get to have. We'll get through this, Weiss. And when we do, we'll be the best huntresses Beacon has ever seen, backed by the goodwill and resources of the most advanced international military network on Earth."

"I guess you have a point." Weiss admitted, "When you put it like that, things don't seem so bad."

"That's what I'm here for." Ruby said with a grin.

"So hey… do you think you can show me how this gauss stuff works? I get the basic concept of it, but I was wondering if it was possible to apply the tech to Myrtenaster."

Ruby rubbed her chin, "Hmm… well, your sword launches Aura projectiles rather than bullets, so I'm not sure if the magnetic coils would do anything. But…!" She added upon seeing Weiss's downcast look, "That doesn't mean we can't try. We can also modify your weapon and add an actual ballistic component to it. I'm not sure if you'd be willing to change Myrtenaster like that, but I'd be more than happy to help if you decide that it's something you want to do!"

"I think my father would kill me if he found out I wanted to make my sword into a gun," Weiss laughed, "But I'll think about it. For now, though, is it alright if I watch? Vahlen's running some computational analysis on our latest Dust samples, and that'll probably take a few hours at the very least. I feel like we haven't really spent much time together just as partners hanging out. I look at Blake and Yang, or Nora and Ren, and I see them doing fun stuff and enjoying each other's company." She drew herself up into a more 'professional' looking posture, "It's my belief that such camaraderie is an important aspect of any partnership, and the lack of such activities between us is a failing on my part."

Ruby giggled and bumped shoulders with her partner, "Of course you can stay and watch. I'm always up for spending time with my best friend. Have you ever used a soldering iron before?"

"No. My father hires Atlas's finest weaponsmiths to craft all the family's armaments, and we were always taught that manual labor was beneath us." She gazed curiously at the tools and components arrayed before Ruby, "To be honest, though, I always thought it looked kinda cool."

"And yet you never come down to visit." Ruby teased.

Weiss huffed, "Well I'm here now! But even though I know how silly my father's rules can be sometimes, it's sometimes hard to break them after years of living in that house."

"It's fine, I was just kidding! Here, I can show you how solder works. Step one is to make sure you never touch the business end of the iron…"

* * *

"Alright soldiers, listen up!" Beagle shouted as he paced back and forth in front of a team of MEC operators, "Standing behind me are the legendary hardware platforms operated by Master Sergeants Belladonna and Xaio Long. Seeing as how Doctor Shen found a way to grow their limbs back, they are no longer dependent on these machines to kick some alien ass. Of course, this leaves us with a pair of highly-specialized MECs that have no pilots. Now, since our own troopers don't have the same sort of training and skill to operate these efficiently, it's been suggested that we strip them down and use their components for our other robo-suits."

He stopped pacing and stared directly at the soldiers before him, "Do you know what I think about that plan? _Fuck_. _That_. Shit's hitting the fan, and we need to use all the top-of-the-line equipment we have at our disposal. So it's our job to make sure that the badass hardware slapped onto these MECs gets used properly, and both BFG and Sabretooth have graciously volunteered their time to make sure the job is done right."

The Captain stepped to the side as Blake and Yang walked out and approached the other pilots.

"Greetings!" Yang started brightly, "Glad to see so many volunteers willing to learn how to pilot these beauties behind us. For the most part, they run like your standard MEC. However, Shen helped us make several additions to the frames with the understanding that our Auric projections would allow them to withstand the added strain."

Blake nodded, "Our goal is to find a way to allow you to use these extra abilities despite your lack of an Aura. Lieutenant Rose, our team's mechanical prodigy, believes it to be possible. If she thinks there's a way to make it happen, then so do we. Due to recent events, we are on a tight schedule, so the training will be long and hard to make up for the lack of time. However we're certain the rewards will be worth it."

"That's what I'm hoping." A voice called out. All nine heads in the live fire hall jerked around to see Bradford walking towards the group. Everyone immediately snapped a salute at the Central Officer.

"Sir." Beagle said, "This is a surprise. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"At ease, Captain. I'm here to inform you that this training has more importance than just the vague goal of making these MEC suits combat-ready for some operation at an undefined point in the future." He turned to the six MEC troopers standing at attention, "As I'm sure you all know, the end to this bloody affair is drawing close. We need to get things done, and we need to do them soon if we are to be adequately prepared for what's to come. It's for that reason that I'm putting together a risky gambit, to be carried out in one week."

Curious silence fell over the group at Bradford's mysterious statement before he continued, "There are still two countries under alien control: the UK and Nigeria. I don't know about you, but I think liberating those nations before shit hits the fan will show not only the aliens that we're here to give them the boot, but the world as well. Even better is if we can pull off this liberations _at the same time_."

Beagle nearly choked, "… Sir?"

"About two weeks ago, I ordered Delta Section to go dark. Nobody went in or out except for myself and the Chief Engineer. The teams in Delta have worked around the clock to build a second Skyranger. Once it's finished, we're sending two different Strike Teams to wipe out the last entrenched pockets of alien operations on Earth before we figure out a way to hit them where it really hurts." Bradford gestured at the two MECs looming over the group, "And if I can have these ready to go for those missions, so much the better."

Bradford snapped a salute back at the stunned group before turning on his heel and walking back out, "You have a one week timetable, soldiers. You best get to it."

After the Central Officer left, Yang managed to recover first from the shock, "Well, you heard the man. Let's get down to the nuts and bolts, shall we?"


	33. Band of Warriors

A/N: Sooooooo the last chapter was going to be my little montage-ish chapter, and then my editor was all, "Oh, so they've got a week before the alien base assault, huh? Guess you're going to do a montage chapter next, right?" And thus, this chapter was born. I kinda got a little carried away with it, but I like how it turned out. Hopefully you enjoy it as well.

* * *

Bradford let out a contented sigh as he savored the aroma of the coffee rising up from his mug and its flavor swirling around in his mouth. While it was very much against regulations, Bradford quietly turned a blind eye when van Doorn brought him back some Colombian dark roast from his latest op to Bogotá. Bradford assumed it was some small gesture of penance from the Field Commander for the 'courthouse incident,' and he certainly couldn't deny that it tasted far better than the mud that passed for coffee available in the lounge. He leaned back in his chair, kicked his feet up on his table, and watched the anthill's security feeds from the quiet comfort of his private office.

Word got around about his one week ultimatum for the two-pronged alien base assault gamble, and it pleased Bradford immensely to see that the news lit a fire under the ass of… just about everyone at HQ, now that he thought about it. All departments of Bradford's organization kicked into high gear yesterday, eager to do their part to make sure the aliens received the 'warmest' hospitality XCOM had to offer. Nobody wanted to be 'the guy' who shouldered the blame for a failed op, and everyone wanted to have a fair piece of the glory when Strike Red and Strike Blue beat the aliens into a bloody pulp.

And it all looked _beautiful_ as he watched through the ever-vigilant eyes of his security system.

Well, all of it except for one part, if Bradford wanted to be perfectly honest with himself.

He leaned forward and pressed the button on his PA system mic, "This is Central Officer Bradford. The next person that tries to play 'The Mulan Song' over the base-wide intercom system will be earning themselves kitchen duty for a month. And no, Zhang, you are _not_ exempt from this new rule. This is not 'the song of your people,' and my demands are non-negotiable. Similarly, songs like Eye of the Tiger, or the Montage Song are likewise banned. I mean really, people. Let's try to be professional about this. Bradford out."

* * *

"Feels kinda weird suiting up in these again, doesn't it?"

Blake glanced up as her partner, fully kitted in a MEC suit, stomped over from the entrance of the live fire hall. Despite her words, Blake noticed that Yang could not keep a grin off her face. This didn't surprise Blake in the slightest: bigger was always better when it came to Yang's taste in explosions explosions, and MECs were the undisputed kings of the biggest explosions.

"Less weird now that we have the option to not use them, but you've got a point. I always figured that if I ever had to get in one of these things again, it would be too soon." Blake answered.

The smile faltered on Yang's face, but only briefly, "Aw, c'mon Blake! We had some good times in the pilot's seat, and you know it! Those Jetboot Modules were absolutely _bitchin'_ , you have to admit, and the video of you soloing that Sectopod way back when was all anyone talked about around the anthill for weeks." Yang playfully punched Blake, though the groaning metal of Blake's suit seemed to go completely unnoticed by the cheerful blonde,"Besides, we're doing this for a good cause. These kids, they see us pull off all sorts of crazy stunts on the battlefield, and they think 'Yeah… I wanna do that. I wanna be just like them!' So now we have the opportunity to teach them how to do it right."

Blake rolled her eyes at her friend's dramatics before walking towards the group of MEC troopers milling around in the center of the room.

"Welcome to day two of training." She began, and the soldiers immediately snapped to attention, "Glad to see that nobody decided to drop off after the first day. Now, you might notice a few changes to your suits from yesterday. With the help of a timely shipment of Remnant alloys from Ozpin, Lieutenant Rose pulled an all-nighter with Shen's engineers to install specialized metal guards each MEC platform."

"Since a big part of MEC'ing like a huntress is abusing the hell out of your suit," Yang interrupted, "These guards are designed to reduce the wear and tear engineering needs to fix after you're put through your paces."

Blake nodded, "Correct. Now, those of you who are volunteering for the mobile platform training will put this technology to use during your slides, rolls, and general evasive maneuvers. Those who agreed to defensive platform training will learn to capitalize on the improved strength of the material by specifically deflecting blows using those sections of your MEC. So far so good?"

" _SIR._ " Six voices answered in unison.

"Excellent!" Yang said, giving a thumbs up to the operatives, "Now, since we only have six days to train, we're going to be breaking off into role-specific drills immediately. If you're part of Team Stronk, you're with me. Speed Junkies are heading out with Sergeant Belladonna. Let's go!"

* * *

Weiss hissed in frustration as the Dust in the container before her exploded in a massive plume of fire hot enough to start melting the inside of the glass window. While such an explosion could be useful as an 'annihilate everything' option against the aliens, Weiss wanted to develop an enhancement effect that could be reasonably controlled. Ever since Vahlen casually mentioned over lunch that she noticed an intriguing 'adaptive' characteristic in Elerium's chemical structure, Weiss went on a self-imposed crusade to find a way to apply the phenomenon to elemental Dust. If she could find a way to use Elerium to boost the properties of her Dust supplies, it could serve as a huge boon for the forces of XCOM.

More than that, it would secure her place in the history books of Remnant. Once this war came to a close and Weiss left for home, she could show her father this research and demonstrate its usefulness in everyday applications of Dust. There's no way her father could ignore such a massive technological advance in Dust science, and she could finally point to something and say, "I did this. Not my father, not my family. I did."

Of course, it also meant that the SDC would need to negotiate some sort of trade contract with XCOM to secure a steady supply of Elerium (if such a thing was even possible), which also meant that Weiss would maybe-possibly have a legitimate reason for remaining in contact with Bradford, Vahlen, and all the other friends she made during her time on Earth.

But of course, all of that meant nothing if she couldn't get the damn Elerium to behave itself and _do what she wanted_.

"Back to square one." She sighed before beginning the process of cleaning out her test chamber.

* * *

"Begin."

As if that one word uttered by Zhang represented floodgates holding back the power of the Yangtze itself, Pyrrha launched herself at Jaune with a zeal the likes of which her partner had never seen. He had barely enough time to raise his shield to deflect her opening strike before Miló slammed into his defenses and sent him skidding backwards several feet. While he expected Pyrrha to go harder on him than she used to (more than that, he asked her to), he didn't realize exactly what he was getting himself into until she landed that first strike.

The fact that he saw two blurry bronze and crimson shapes that resembled Pyrrha instead of one when he looked over the top of his shield served as a pretty good indicator of how badly she intended to beat his face in.

Before he even had a chance to shake off the effects of the first swipe, Pyrrha was in Jaune's face with a deadly look in her eyes. Sparks flew as her sword struck the Aura emanating from his shield, and Jaune tried to assess the situation between the rapid-fire strikes Pyrrha continued to throw his way. Any time he tried to counterattack, she would push Crocea Mors aside with as much as ease if she was brushing away a fly. More than once, Jaune found himself knocked flat on his ass, and he only managed to roll back to his feet just in time to avoid suffering the full force of his partner's next blow.

"Pyrrha, what-?"

"Fight back, Jaune!" She interrupted angrily.

He winced as Miló came crashing down on his shield once more before Pyrrha spun around his defenses and jammed the pommel of her weapon into his ribs, "Pyrrha?"

"You give it your all against Zhang, don't you? Do you respect him more as an opponent than me? _Fight back, Jaune._ "

His strength gave out trying to deflect Pyrrha's next attack, leaving his chest wide open for a heavy kick from Pyrrha. He felt the wind knocked out of his lungs as his back slammed into the concrete, and his vision exploded into stars.

"Nikos wins." Zhang said simply, giving Jaune's limp body a small kick, "We've got a long way to go."

" _I heard that, Colonel._ " Bradford barked over the intercom.

* * *

Ruby stood against the brick wall at the back of the manufacturing floor and looked down at the hastily-assembled armor prototype strapped to her body. While the actual protective bits only covered her chest, shoulders, and thighs, a very light material weave covered everything else up to and including her fingers and toes. For the first time ever, she even wore a helmet so that absolutely nothing remained exposed. Ruby lifted a gloved hand in front of her face and wiggled her fingers a bit before turning to look over at Dr. Shen standing several yards away.

" _I was expecting it to feel a little more uncomfortable._ " She said, her voice slightly distorted by the helmet, " _I could probably get used to wearing something like this, actually._ "

Dr. Shen smiled in amusement, "That's the idea. I don't think I could expect our operatives to focus in the field when they're constantly distracted by a stuffy suit. How's the flexibility?"

" _Good. Suit isn't interfering with my mobility whatsoever._ "

"Alright, then… time for the moment of truth." Shen made a few keystrokes on his tablet, and Ruby's suit began to shimmer. After a few seconds, the material weave began to fade out of existence, and Ruby became translucent.

Shen frowned, "Well, it's a start, I suppose. I'll have to talk to Vahlen about the Hyperwave simulations she ran and make sure she didn't miss anything." He watched as Ruby waved her arms to test the effects of motion on the suit's stealth technology, sighing as the action caused the weave to begin flashing various colors, "Alright, you can stop that now, Ruby. We'll try again in a day or two once I've had some time to work with Vahlen on the design some more. Why don't you spend some more time working on your weapon modifications? I believe you left Crescent Rose in its usual location at the back of my office."

Ruby took off her helmet and flashed a grin at Shen, "Sounds like a plan! Don't worry too much about the suit. I'm sure you'll get it working soon."

"Your optimism never ceases to amaze me, Miss Rose. I hope you never lose it." He said quietly as she skipped off towards the office.

* * *

"Shit, shit, fucking hell, shit, cock, ass!"

"MacAuley," Beagle said with a sigh, ducking as another Dust round whistled overhead, "I swear to whatever god is watching, if you don't shut the hell up this instant and start being useful, I will punch your ugly mug myself."

"That's fine and dandy for you to say," MacAuley whined, "You volunteered for this. And somehow, I managed to let you volunteer _me_ as well."

With a bang to punctuate her arrival, Nora skidded into cover between the two operatives, "What's the holdup, guys? You were supposed to use the distraction to move up to the next barricade."

Beagle jerked a thumb at MacAuley, "Poor widdle Mac-Mac almost got some Dust up his nose from a lucky shot, and he's too scared to move."

Nora shrugged, "Dust sneezes kinda suck, so I can't really blame him. But we gotta move. Jaune's team is in position, and he needs us to move forward to help with the next phase of the plan."

"How are we supposed to do that?" MacAuley asked, nodding his head to indicate the far end of the field, "Lieutenant Rose has a solid lock on our position. We so much as stick our nose out of cover, and she'll shoot it off."

Beagle sighed, "Then let her shoot it off. You do realize we're using specially-modified Dust rounds that don't actually cause any lasting damage, right?"

"But they hurt like fuckin' hell!" MacAuley complained.

The Captain turned to Nora, a tired look on his face, "Valkyrie, can you just… y'know… do the thing?"

With a salute, Nora wrapped her arms around MacAuley's torso, and with a 'heave, ho!' chucked him clear of the barricade.

MacAuley yelped as Dust rounds pattered all around him while he raced for cover. A pair of bullets smacked into his stomach and shoulder, and the Engineer swore in pain while blindly spraying return fire with his rifle. Eventually, he found solace behind a pile of sandbags before he heard the sound of gunfire to the left. He watched as Jaune charged forward, giant tower shield at the ready, with Pyrrha and Ren crouched low behind him with their guns out and firing at the fortified position of Red Team.

" _Nice work, MacAuley!_ " Jaune called out over the comms, " _I knew you could do it._ "

MacAuley sighed. Maybe someday he'd be able to accept that sort of praise with a straight face. For now, though, all he felt was the guilt of knowing that Nora forced his hand.

He jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see the huntress herself smiling brightly at him, "Hang in there, buddy. Stick with me, and I'll make a soldier out of you in no time."

* * *

Annette looked up as the door opened to the Psi Labs and saw Ruby poke her head in.

"Here for another session?" The Captain asked, "I've always got time for my favorite psionic buddy."

Ruby walked in and looked around curiously, "I asked Bradford where I could find you, and he said to check the Psi Labs. Do you just spend your free time down here for fun or something?"

Annette laughed, her eyes returning to the console in front of her, "No, nothing like that. I help Vahlen monitor the operatives undergoing psi testing so that she can focus on other matters. It started off as a favor I did for her once, and kinda snowballed into a part-time job that I help out with whenever I'm not on an op or mandated R&R. Since I'm the top psi op in the corps, it kinda makes sense that Vahlen asked me to help. So what's up, buttercup?"

"You had it right when you guessed about going for another session." Ruby admitted, "However, I wanted to know if Ren could join us. Vahlen mentioned a few times that psionics and Aura are closely related, and Ren's the best Aura user we have, so… figured he could help or something."

"What a silly question, of course he's welcome to join! I don't know if he'll be able to help or not, but it's certainly worth trying, no?"

Ruby let out a sigh of relief, "Well that's good, because I already asked him to meet us down here."

As if on cue, Ren poked his head in and gave a small wave, "Hello, Captain."

"Hello yourself, Sergeant!" Annette replied cheerfully, "We've never had much of a chance to get truly acquainted, so it'll be nice to spend some time with you if we're both helping Miss Rose get a better handle on her abilities. Shall we begin?"

"I'm ready if Ruby is." Ren said, stepping through the door and approaching the other two operatives, "I'm hoping that while you work on stabilizing her psionic potential, I can try to keep her Aura running smoothly and stop it from interfering with your work."

Annette raised a curious eyebrow, "Is that even possible? I didn't realize you hunters could apply your Aura to situations such as this."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you say a similar thing to Ruby about psionics during your first attempt at adjusting her power?" Ren countered.

"Point taken. Well, no point beating around the bush. Let's get started."

* * *

The clangs of metal smashing against metal reverberated throughout the drill hall, and Yang held a metal hand out for her fallen sparring partner, "C'mon, Talos. Up and at 'em, big guy. Let's go for round three."

Talos took Yang's proffered hand and pulled himself up to a standing position, " _Yes sir._ "

"And I don't care what Bradford says, hit it Clank."

As the PA started to blast 'Through Fire and Flames,' The two MECs tapped fists and dropped into their combat stances, Juggernaut plates locking into place. Yang smiled with satisfaction when Talos immediately raised his arms the way she instructed, which allowed him to make the most out of the Remnant alloys welded to his suit. With a little help from her Aura, Yang leapt high into the air and came down hard on her opponent. Talos staggered back from the blow, but maintained a proper posture all the same. Yang raised her fist for another strike, but her opponent jerked forward and smashed his frame into her chest with a surprise shoulder check.

Yang let the force of the blow throw her backward, which put some space between the two MECs, before raising her arms and charging back into the fight. A series of expertly-timed punches from the huntress, and Talos once again found himself flat on his back. A moment later, Yang's smiling face came into view.

"That was a pretty move, Talos. I liked it. Of course, it wasn't enough to take me down, but it's definitely a start. Keep in mind that shoulder checks are good if you need to clear some space, or if you've got the target wedged between you and a wall. Since neither of those applied here, I managed to take your initiative and work it to my advantage."

" _Understood, sir._ "

"Alright, I'd like to return these MECs to Shen in one piece, so you're done for the day. When I'm done thrashing Freya and Clank, you can find me in the gym if you'd like to practice some more hand-to-hand. For now, though…" She turned to the other two MECs standing at attention, "Which one of you wants to get your daily Xaio Long Beatdown first?"

* * *

"Begin."

This time, Jaune braced himself for Pyrrha's onslaught. Without the element of surprise working against him, Jaune managed to survive his partner's initial flurry of blows without giving up too much ground. She still kept him on the defensive almost 100% of the time, but he didn't feel like he was drowning anymore. Jaune continued to deflect her sword strikes, waiting to find an opening he could exploit. Of course, with Pyrrha being the perfect fighter that she is, he quickly realized that he'd be waiting a very long time for her to give him something like that.

" _Oof!_ " Jaune grunted as his back slammed into the concrete. Before he even opened his eyes, Jaune reflexively rolled back. A rush of air and a clang of steel against the ground told him that he made the right choice. He scrambled to his feet just in time to get an elbow to the face. Then a boot to the gut, followed by a pommel to the knee. Pain began to rapidly pile up as Jaune felt his partner land more blows on him. Though his Semblance armor absorbed a fair share of the damage (and was likely the sole reason he hadn't withered under Pyrrha's assault yet), Jaune knew he needed to come up with something fast.

' _It's a longshot, but what the hell. I'd be letting Pyrrha down if I don't try something._ '

Even as Akoúo̱ collided with his face, Jaune ignored the sharp ache in his skull and drove his fist into Pyrrha's gut. Without missing a beat, she quickly deflected Crocea Mors with Miló, leaving him exposed for a knee to the ribs. Grunting through the pain, he used the momentum from her deflection to spin around and try for another strike. She blocked it easily, but didn't expect him to follow through with a headbutt to the face. His victory was short-lived, however, when she countered with her _own_ headbutt, which proved much more forceful than his. Jaune's stamina finally reached its breaking point, and his vision exploded with stars once more, followed by the familiar feeling of Pyrrha's boot on his chest.

"Well would you look at that," Zhang commented, "Sergeant Arc has a backbone after all. You have ten minutes before we begin again."

Jaune nodded an affirmative, not even bothering to open his eyes.

* * *

Another explosion, another failed experiment that added to Weiss's frustrations. The huntress-turned-researcher growled in annoyance as the smoke began to clear within her chamber, and she checked the data readouts populating the screen at her workstation.

"Still 250% more yield than I want." She sighed, "How does Vahlen stay sane after failing to achieve results time and again?"

"By remember that if science was easy, anyone could do it." The Chief Scientist answered, walking up behind Weiss, cup of coffee in hand, "What's the problem? Still stuck on the Elerium problem?"

"I know there's a way to use it to amplify the effects of Dust, but nothing I'm trying is working."

Vahlen shrugged, "I won't insult you by suggesting obvious methods that I'm sure you've already tried, but there is something that might help."

"I'm all ears, Doc."

"As I'm sure you know, I keep very strict records of all my experiments and have them carefully sorted and indexed in a secure database. I've performed so many tests, I can't possibly remember the details of each one, but I may have made a note of some interesting phenomenon that could be beneficial to your efforts."

Vahlen, too busy pulling up the database on her tablet, missed Weiss's incredulous look, "Vahlen, I have less than a week to get this done before the base assault, and you want me to spend my time _reading_?"

"The mark of a good scientist is to know when to forge their own path and when to follow the trail blazed by their predecessors." Vahlen answered chidingly, "We stand on the shoulders of giants, my friend. It would be foolish of us to ignore the work of everyone who has come before us."

Weiss sighed, "Point taken. Can you forward your research on Elerium to my workstation? I may as well get started."

"Already done. I'll be looking through them myself whenever I need a break from my Grimm research." Vahlen said as she walked back to her section of the lab.

"How's that going, by the way?"

"Don't want to talk about it."

* * *

Blake sprinted down the live fire hall and towards a section arranged as a mock urban combat setting. She smiled to herself as she heard three sets of mechanical legs pound the concrete as her students chased after her. She reached the city, turned a corner and encountered a low wall. Blake easily vaulted over it without breaking stride. Behind her, she heard one… two… three MECs follow suit.

" _Excellent work._ " She praised over the comms, " _But it only gets harder from here._ "

Blake led the pilots on a merry chase through the city ruins. She dropped into a power slide to dodge the broken bridge inches above her frame before pivoting around a sharp turn and bounding up a ramp to vault up to the rooftops. From there, she bounded from building to building as she heard the MECs struggle to give chase. Well, two of them struggled while one seemed to have little trouble staying several paces behind Blake.

Gizmo.

Gizmo, as Blake quickly realized, was Strike One's Pathfinder for a reason. No matter what acrobatic feat Blake demanded of her pursuers, Gizmo found a way to overcome it. Her performance wasn't always as elegant as Blake's graceful movements (Blake heard her crash through one barrier rather than vault over it), but Gizmo never stumbled like the other two. Blake skidded around a corner and dahsed along the top edge of a narrow wall, only to hear Gizmo keep pace behind her. As the huntress passed by a weakened section of wall holding up some debris, she smashed it with one hand and felt the structure give out and drop its concrete payload.

Blake risked a glance back at her handiwork and saw slabs of concrete and pieces of rebar tumble to the ground amid a cloud of dust. Her eyebrows shot up as the sleek profile of Gizmo's MEC burst through the trap and continued to chase Blake. After five minutes of running rings around the live fire hall, Blake came to a halt against the back wall. The Pathfinder joined her ten seconds later, eyes locked onto Blake's while silently waiting for more orders. Half a minute later, the other two operatives caught up with their instructor.

"Not bad, soldiers." Blake commented, "It looks like I'm going to have to find a way to provide more of a challenge for Gizmo, seeing as she had no difficulty keeping up through that course. Take five, everyone. I have some prep work that needs getting done for the next exercise."

* * *

" _Hammer Team, go!_ "

MacAuley gripped his gun and rushed out after Nora and Beagle. Dust rounds lit up the dirt all around them as the unseen operatives of Red Team tried to tag the soldiers of Blue. Judicious use of cover scattered across the field, along with Nora's ability to straight-up soak multiple hits, helped MacAuley avoid the high-caliber rounds of Lieutenant Rose the All-Seeing. The trio slid into safety behind a wall so that Beagle and MacAuley could catch their breath while Nora called out to Jaune's Team, Shield, to take their turn leapfrogging forward.

Nora glanced over at her two allies, "How're you guys holding up?"

"I'll live." Beagle answered.

"Fine." MacAuley wheezed out.

" _Hammer, you're up again._ " What seemed like seconds to MacAuley must've been a lot longer, and his limbs complained when he forced them to get moving once more. The stretch of battlefield ahead of them had very little in the way of cover, so MacAuley popped a smoke grenade off of his hip and tossed it over Nora's head. The device puffed into a pink cloud of smoke just as the team caught up to it, and the three soldiers ran through the relative safety of MacAuley's cover. Once the team passed through the far side, they heard a familiar whistle coming from the end of the hall. MacAuley looked up and froze for a moment in shock.

"… Explosives? Since… since when did they use explosives?"

"MOVE, YOU LITTLE SHIT." Beagle yelled, slamming into the dazed Irishman and driving him to the safety of sandbag barricades as dust exploded all around them.

" _Everything alright, Hammer?_ "

"Yeah." Nora answered, "Just caught off-guard by Yang's little surprise."

" _Guess Ruby's raising the stakes. Keep it up._ "

MacAuley groaned.

* * *

"Alright, Rubes. Zen thoughts. Yeah… Zen thoughts. You can do this."

"Relax, Ruby." Ren laughed, "Getting yourself worked up is counter-productive, you know."

Ruby stiffly nodded, "Right." Still she tried to take Ren's advice. The feeling of Annette's psionic link contacting her mind took Ruby slightly by surprise (as it always did), but she closed her eyes and let it freely move through her psyche. After the success of their first 'session,' Annette began to tackle some of the tricker scars left behind by the Ethereal's attack on Ruby's mind. Where the superficial surgery was relatively painless, the subsequent ones started to hurt. Even though Ruby told Annette that she wanted Ren present to try and balance her Aura and Psionics, she secretly hoped that he would be able to do something about the pain as well.

A warm pair of hands gripped her shoulders, and Ruby felt the comforting sensation of Aura flow through her body. She opened her eyes, and a hazy visage of Ren swam into view. With a little bit of concentration, Ruby could see that he was even smiling.

"You're doing fine, though your Aura seems to be pretty annoyed at Captain Durand's intrusion. If you don't mind, I'm going to keep holding onto you and help keep that energy from flaring up and disrupting Annette's work."

Ruby nodded wordlessly, then winced as something sent a spike of pain through her head. Annette clicked her tongue in annoyance from behind her, "I'm sorry, Ruby. I stumbled upon some latent energy left behind by the Ethereal, and it lashed out at me. Are you feeling better?"

"It… passed." Ruby said, "I'm fine. Head feels a little light, though."

"I'm not surprised. I'll try and tread more cautiously to avoid a repeat incident." Annette answered.

"And I'll lend you some of my own Aura to help heal any damage or pain you experience." Ren added.

Ruby smiled and gave them a thumbs up. With the two of them looking out for her Ruby knew she couldn't possibly be in safer hands, "Just keep doing your thing, guys. I can put up with a little bit of pain."

* * *

"Begin."

Rather than wait for Pyrrha's assault, Jaune took the initiative and launched himself at his opponent the moment Zhang spoke. His shield clashed against hers, and for a brief moment, Jaune thought he might have the upper hand. Of course, a solid strike to his back as Pyrrha spun around his side put that hope to rest. Still, such a small setback didn't put a damper on his momentum, and Jaune continued to press the action. Sparks flew as swords clashed, and Jaune worked to remember all of Pyrrha's training. When they weren't sparring for Zhang, the duo spent countless hours like they used to, with Pyrrha teaching rather than assaulting. Thanks to Jaune's bolstered confidence and the pressure of a deadline, the lessons sunk in much faster than they used to.

Half a step back to feint followed by driving forward hard with shield up; predicting Pyrrha's next strike and parrying accordingly; immediately capitalizing on an opening made by his shield bash by driving his heel into her leg… Jaune almost surprised himself with how _right_ his technique looked. Of course, despite all of his strikes, blocks, and similar victories, Pyrrha continued to outclass him. She shrugged off his blows like they were nothing while managing to still slip several attacks of her own past his defenses. As the fight wore on, he could feel his strength flagging and his Aura faltering.

Knowing that he couldn't keep this up much longer, Jaune decided to go for one final push and drove his shield hard into Pyrrha. He immediately followed up by dropping to one knee and sweeping Crocea Mors in a wide arc. Once Pyrrha landed on her feet after dodging the attack, Jaune drove his lead shoulder forward and upwards into her gut. A smile crossed his face as he felt Pyrrha get the wind knocked out of her, but a hilt bash to the temple quickly floored him thereafter.

Despite getting knocked flat on his back for the thirtieth time in four days, the smile didn't leave Jaune's lips as he felt Pyrrha level Miló with his throat.

For the first time in thirty bouts, Jaune could hear the faint sounds panting coming from his partner.

* * *

"Alright, Ruby, let's try this again."

Once more, XCOM's youngest Lieutenant stood against a brick wall clad in Dr. Shen's prototype Shadow Armor. She flipped a small toggle on her hip, and the suit's experimental technology came to life. The fabric weave on her arms and legs briefly glowed a light neon blue before vanishing completely, followed by her chest and face shortly thereafter. After a few seconds of standing perfectly still, Ruby tried waving her arms. The weave shimmered from the motion, but the effects didn't devolve into a light show like the first attempt. Shen realized he was still holding his breath.

"The system appears to be functional." He said, moreso to himself than to Ruby, "And the phasing technology is stable. Lieutenant, if you could try running with the cloak active…?"

The moment Ruby took off running, the illusion started to fall apart. With its surroundings changing at such a rapid rate, the phasing technology struggled to keep up and maintain the cloak. Whenever Ruby stopped running, however, the suit would briefly shimmer before returning once more to its hard-to-see state.

"Hmmm…" Shen mused, "The tech doesn't seem to behave as well when it's in motion. The quantum mechanics disrupt the phasing, and the suit struggles to maintain a positional lock. I'll have to show these metrics to Vahlen and see if there's any tweaks to the theory she can develop to mitigate the issue."

He looked up and tried to find Ruby once more, only to discover that she wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Ruby…?"

His vision went dark as a pair of gloved hands covered his face, "I wish you were a little shorter, Ray. I'm standing on my tippy toes over here."

Dr. Shen laughed, "I'm terribly sorry that my height has inconvenienced your little prank. Would you mind letting go and accompanying me to Vahlen's lab?"

"The Lair of the She-Witch…" Ruby whispered in a dramatic voice, "You'll need my adorable charm if you want to have any hope for survival."

"You do realize that your partner is best friends with her, right?" Shen asked, rolling his eyes.

"That only further proves my point."

* * *

Yang hefted the Particle Cannon and grinned at the fully-armored Talos. Since he performed the best in the brawling sessions, he earned the honor of being the first to suit up in Yang's old MEC. It also meant that he earned the honor of being first to get shot at repeatedly by Yang's very large gun.

"Gun's locked and loaded. Ready to defend, soldier?"

" _Juggernaut Protocol is fully operational._ " Talos countered, " _Hit me with your best shot._ "

Yang took aim at her target and fired. The cannon hummed before discharging high-density its payload with a kick. Talos, arm raised to soak the blow, recoiled from the force of the attack before immediately resuming his defensive stance. Yang fired again, her shot striking Talos's second arm. Before his assailant could fire again, Talos cycled his Juggernaut plating. While it still protected his vital functions, its new configuration provided fresh surfaces that the pilot could use to deflect more oncoming blows. Shot after shot erupted from Yang's Particle Cannon, and Talos continued to cycle through defensive positions to ensure that no single piece of armor took more than a single blow.

When Yang's gun ran dry, she mag-locked it to her back before charging in with fists clenched. Talos traded his heavier armor for agility, retracting the Juggernaut plating while Yang closed to engage. The pilot met Yang's opening punch with a deflective block that attempted to re-direct the huntress past him. He met her follow-up punch by bringing up his leg to block the blow from striking his vitals. She continued to assault him with strike after strike, and Talos flowed from one counter to the next. Whenever possible, he tried to simply shift Yang's direction so that she punched empty air, only soaking the blow when absolutely necessary.

Eventually, Yang backed off and powered up the grenade launcher mounted to her back. As her on-board battle computer acquired a trajectory lock, Talos rapidly deployed the blast shield stowed on his forearm. The launcher fired, Talos ducked behind the planted shield, and the fiery blast blew past him. The two MECs stood perfectly still, their respective pilots locked in a staring contest. Eventually, Yang grinned and folded her arms across her chest.

"Not bad, not bad at all. You get a gold star for the day, and a trip down to the repair bay so Shen's boys can get my Devastator repaired for the next victim."

Talos gave Yang a salute before marching off towards the elevator.

* * *

" _Hammer, we need backup!_ "

MacAuley nodded at Nora, then ran out from the safety of cover to assist the beleaguered Shield team while Nora and Beagle pressed on ahead. He fired off a small burst from his rifle to try and take some of the heat off of Shield before continuing his mad dash to their position. Sure enough, bullet ricocheted off the concrete around him, and the Engineer dodged and weaved through the debris on the field to help offer him some protection while he moved to support his allies. There, huddled behind a rapidly crumbling sandbag wall, MacAuley saw Jaune, Pyrrha, and Ren.

"Smoke's out!" He shouted, tossing the small canister at their position. The smoke plumed into a heavy cloud, and MacAuley joined his squadmates on their dash to the next piece of cover. Overhead, he heard the whistling sound that meant Xaio Long was once again not playing fair.

"Hey, we gotta move!" Explosive blasts erupted around the four operatives and MacAuley heard Beagle and Nora trying to draw the attention of Red Team onto them while Shield ran across no-man's-land. The Engineer pulled another explosive off his hip, primed it, and chucked it as far as he could. The distinct lack of gunfire following the bright flash and _piff_ of his flashbang told MacAuley that he got lucky with his toss. He saw the next piece of cover twenty meters ahead and put on a burst of speed to reach safety before his attackers recovered from their brief disorientation.

 _Crack_.

MacAuley fell to the ground with a yelp, pain searing his right thigh. Of course the Lieutenant would recover from his little surprise fast enough to put a Dust round through his leg, and of course she would pick the weakest link of the squad to drag the rest down with him.

"Fuck!" MacAuley cursed, angry that he let his team down, as usual. He sat there, letting the pain of his leg wound wash over him, when a pair of hands gripped him under the shoulder and lifted him to his feet.

Jaune flashed a grin at the Irishman, "C'mon, Mack. It's not over till it's over. We're almost there, buddy."

Without even waiting for any protest from MacAuley, Jaune ducked under the Engineer's arm and supported him for the final stretch to cover. Several more shots rang out from Crescent Rose, and MacAuley heard Jaune grunt more than once as a bullet found its mark. Still, the hunter never faltered, and the two of them made it to the debris wall where Pyrrha and Ren were waiting.

"Thanks." MacAuley muttered while Ren tended to his wound.

"We're a team, Mack, which means we're supposed to support each other. Just as your smoke gave us the opportunity to make a break for a better position, pulling you out of harm's way was a no-brainer. It's impossible to survive on your own in the field, and so it's up to each of us to ensure that all of us return safely." Jaune gave MacAuley a light punch on the shoulder, "Don't sell yourself short, buddy. You do more for this team than you realize."

MacAuley nodded, "Yeah… yeah, okay. Thanks, boss."

* * *

Weiss carefully stared at the small particles floating in the liquid chamber before her. With practiced ease, she slowly lowered a gold wire into the box and waited for the water to settle before coaxing a small portion of her soul's energy to flow through the material. She watched as her Aura energized the Dust within the fluid and rapidly crystallize the solution. Within seconds, well over half of the water had turned to ice.

"Hmmm…" She muttered.

"Found something interesting?" Vahlen asked from across the room.

"I think I finally found a good balance of Elerium Dust that lets it enhance the effects of whatever element I combine it with instead of replacing it with a high-energy explosion." Weiss answered, her eyes still glued to the container, "This quantity of Ice Dust usually only freezes twenty percent of the chamber's liquid, but the amount of solid water in there now is about three times greater."

Vahlen put down her tools and walked over to better appreciate Weiss's success, "Well done! Did my notes on Elerium help at all?"

Weiss nodded, "Very much so. Your list of various catalysts and their effects on Elerium helped me develop a proper mixture for the controlled amplification of the Dust compound. I've only tested the solution on Ice Dust so far, since I figured I should start with what I know best. It's possible that the proper balance varies from element to element, but at least I know now that I'm not chasing an unreachable goal. Give me some time, and I'm sure I'll find the correct combination for each." The two of them shared a celebratory fist bump (a concept introduced to Vahlen by Yang), before Vahlen helped Weiss empty out the container and prepare for the next experiment.

* * *

A buzzer rang out, and Blake watched Gizmo make a run for the course. Rather than just play chase through the urban rubble and come up with obstacles as she went, Blake carefully designed the gauntlet Gizmo currently faced. She watched as the MEC approached the first obstacle, Jetboot Module hot and ready to fire at a moment's notice. Gizmo skidded under the low-hanging bridge before coming back up to her feet in time to leap at the wall in front of her. She pushed off, twisted, and gripped the ledge directly behind the first jumping point. With practiced ease, Gizmo pulled herself onto the roof before grabbing the holorifle off her back. She strafed along her high ground while tagging several targets down below, never once stopping to line up a shot.

Gizmo's head snapped left as the sound of a rocket drew her attention. Her Jetboots flared, and the Pathfinder kicked off of the building moments before an explosion engulfed the structure. Dropping back down to the ground floor, Gizmo took off running for the next challenge. She warmed up her Kinetic Strike Module and punched her way through into a small arena where several targets began to instantly pop up.

"Time to play with your fancy sword, Gizmo." Blake called through the training hall's PA system.

The second her rifle finished shifting into a sword, Gizmo took off for the first target and handily sliced it in half. With the Jetboots helping her cover ground at breakneck speeds, the pilot pierced the second target, punched the third, and reversed herself into the fourth. Blake watched as the Pathfinder gracefully danced around the arena, cutting down targets as quickly as they popped up. Her style was vastly different from Blake's own, of course, but the huntress found beauty in the elegance as Gizmo fell into her own tempo.

Ten minutes later, Gizmo punched her way out of the final trial before coming face-to-face with a smiling Blake, "For someone who has no Aura to fall back on, you fight with an impressive amount of grace and flair, Gizmo. It took some time, but I honestly can't think of a better candidate for piloting the Vanguard. Well done."

* * *

Ruby sat cross-legged on the floor of the Psi Labs, her focus entirely on Ren. She could feel Annette working in the back of her mind, but that didn't matter to Ruby. All she had to do was focus on Ren and concentrate on keeping her Aura regulated. Every time she felt a small spike of pain from the psychic surgery, she let the pain pass over her and leave. Rather than fear the consequences of what might happen if Annette made a mistake, Ruby focused on doing her part to make sure that didn't happen. 'Fear is the mind killer,' she remembered reading from a book that Blake left on her bed a few days ago. She was embarrassed to admit that she didn't read very far into it before giving up, but that phrase stuck with her.

The two hunters sat in absolute silence, encased in their respective Auras while they concentrated on exerting control over their powers, on being masters of their own fate. Ruby did her best to follow Ren's suggestion, to look 'inward' and see the ebb and flow of her Aura within her soul. She didn't know how she was supposed to look at her Aura, but she could feel the energy radiating from her core. She felt a bit silly trying to take this whole Zen thing seriously, but if Ren was taking the time to help her in the best way he knew how, then the least she could do was to put forth an equal effort and not let her self-conscious feelings get in the way.

"All done." Annette said quietly, "How do you feel, Ruby? What do you see?"

Ruby focused on her mind, on the energies she felt swirling within. Using the exercises Annette and Ren worked to help her develop, she teased a tendril of her mind's power down into her core. From below, her Aura rose up to meet the energy, and Ruby winced at the shock that accompanied their initial 'contact.' She maintained her focus with the help of her companions, and soon the two energies slid past one another without friction. She looked down at her hand, and saw purple streaks begin to lace themselves with the usual red color of her Aura.

Ruby looked up at Ren and smiled, "I feel powerful."

* * *

"Begin."

Swords clashed as Pyrrha and Jaune began their latest bout under the critical eye of Colonel Zhang. Ever step and pivot Jaune made carried the confidence of a warrior who believed in his own skill. He met every blow that connected with his face with zealous reprisal. Though Jaune still had yet to best Pyrrha in one-on-one combat, the sheer power and fearlessness emanating from Jaune's being resulted in some of the operatives nicknaming him 'Jaune the Lionheart.' His Aura pulsed to the rhythm of the battle, and the two combatants threw themselves at each other time and again.

Every time they locked swords, Jaune caught a glimpse of Pyrrha's face. He saw concentration written all over it, of course, but he saw something else just beneath the surface. At first, he couldn't quite figured out where he recognized it from, or what it meant, but every glance he stole seemed to be filling in another piece of the puzzle, or wiping away another little cobweb from his memory. Finally, it clicked. He remembered the same look on her face when the two of them talked after Pyrrha found out about his involvement in Vahlen's Aura breakthrough. Through the exterior rage, hurt, and confusion at why he chose to keep it hidden from her, Jaune also remembered another emotion.

Pride.

Jaune's Aura flared at the memory and realization, and he threw himself at Pyrrha with renewed vigor. Though she landed far more hits on him than he did on her, his Semblance allowed him to carry on as if he had little more than a couple of scratches. With each block and deflection Pyrrha made, Jaune could see the fatigue begin to catch up with her. Back and forth they carried on, sheer determination keeping both of them fighting with the entirety of their hearts and souls. When Jaune though he'd just end up fighting Pyrrha down to a stalemate, Jaune spotted a miracle: Pyrrha made a mistake.

It was a small thing, just a simple footing error, but Jaune recognized it and leapt on the opportunity immediately. He pressed forward with his shield, forcing Pyrrha to block and pull herself even more out of position. A quick step placed his foot behind hers, and Jaune followed up with a mighty shove. Pyrrha went tumbling to the floor, and Jaune abandoned his armaments to dive on top of her. He gripped her sword wrist on one hand and pinned her shield arm with the other, his face inches away from hers to ensure she couldn't reach up with her legs and pull him off.

A slow clap echoed through the room, and Jaune looked up to see Zhang applauding, "After one-hundred and twenty-four failures, you finally come out on top. Well done, Master Arc. Well done indeed."

* * *

Bradford swept his gaze across the assembly of literally everyone working at XCOM standing before him. Behind the Central Officer sat two Skyrangers, fueled and ready to take his strike teams to the outskirts of London and Lagos so that they may commence with the systematic removal of the final alien strongholds on Earth.

"We are on the cusp of a turning point in this war, my friends. This past week, I have had the pleasure of observing you all put forth your best efforts towards ensuring the events of today will fall in our favor, and it's an honor knowing that the XCOM Project is staffed with the finest specimens of mankind that Earth, and Remnant, has to offer. All of you faced different hurdles and challenges this past week, and all of you overcame them with skill and determination. I couldn't have asked for a finer team than the one I'm looking at right now."

"In a matter of hours, these two Skyrangers will be dusting off with full squads to take care of some final bit of business before we tackle the Ethereal collective head-on. Because of your efforts, I believe that our operatives are equipped to not only defeat the alien threats they will face, but to eradicate them so completely that our guests will wish they never bothered to attack us at all."

"Both of these operations are equally important towards accomplishing our goal of a unified front against the aliens, so it would be a mistake for me to designate the Strike teams by number and imply that one is superior to the other. Red Team will by flying out to England, and the squad will include the huntresses of RWBY, SHIV operative Polendina, and three highly-trained MECs who have been instructed by Sergeant Xaio Long herself. Colonel Zhang will be accompanying them on this mission, though he will not be the commanding officer. That honor falls to Captain Rose."

Bradford grinned at the stunned Ruby, but didn't stop to explain to her how the decision came about. There would be time before the flight, and besides…

"Blue Team will have the honor of liberating Nigeria, and the squad will be composed of JNPR, several handpicked members of Strike Five, and of course, Sergeant Belladonna's cadre of MECs. While Captain Beagle instantly agreed to join JNPR on this mission, he suggested that Lieutenant Arc act as commanding officer. After the events of this past week, I have to agree."

Jaune choked on his morning coffee, followed by Beagle giving him a hard whack on the back to help clear his friend's airway. Bradford, however, still had some more to say.

"With that out of the way, I thought I'd leave you all with a few suggestions. While I have absolute faith that today's operations will both be unmitigated successes, I've never heard of such a thing as too much advice."

As the members of both teams stepped forward from the assembly and stood at attention, Bradford cracked a smile, "My words are thus: You must be swift as the coursing river, with all the force of a great typhoon." He watched the members of the assembly, their confusion quickly shifting to snickering as Bradford finished, "With all the strength of a raging fire-"

A resounding chorus of everyone in the room drowned out Bradford's voice, " _MYSTERIOUS AS THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON!_ "


	34. Ghost in the Machine

Silence reigned among Ruby's group during their flight in the Skyranger. Not even Penny, with her usually bubbly and talkative personality felt like saying anything as the ship bolted toward its target in England. Ruby looked around at all of the operatives accompanying her band of huntresses, and counted five extra beyond Penny. She knew that the Skyranger received modifications to allow for an extended crew capacity. She even enjoyed its benefits herself on a few missions in the past. However, she still couldn't help but feel impressed that XCOM could fit _three_ MECs into the cargo hold without making the space feel cramped for the other seven operatives.

Yang and Blake performed admirably in their goal to train up the MEC troopers in their one-week 'advanced piloting' crash course. While only two of the six operatives could earn the right to pilot the tricked out suits that Blake and Yang used, the other four definitely finished the week as greatly improved pilots. Therefore, Bradford split the group up evenly and assigned three MECs to each mission team. Ruby's group received Yang's MEC (piloted by an Archer-spec trooper), along with Yang's two other students: a Guardian, and a Shogun. The logic stood that, while Ruby's team proved time and again that they excelled at obliterating foes, the huntresses possessed little in the way of sturdy defenses and cover destruction. While impressive evasive skills and Ember Celica's explosive rounds certainly worked to their advantage, past missions demonstrated that attrition didn't particularly suit RWBY's style. And according to Bradford, alien base assaults were the epitome of attrition. So three sturdy MECs, Zhang, and a Medic rounded out Ruby's team.

" _How are you guys doing over there, Ruby? Red Team all ship-shape?_ " Jaune's voice, boosted by the Skyranger's equipment, called over the comm channel.

"It's pretty quiet in here." Ruby answered, "What's the situation for Blue Team?"

" _I gotta say, the new Skyranger is a bit rough around the edges. I'm guessing the construction crews didn't really have time to make the seats comfortable, but oh well. Nora's trying to list all the different ways one can make a breakfast out of pancakes to pass the time, and I kinda checked out at 'pancake gumbo.' Seriously… pancake soup?_ "

Ruby laughed, "Well, with how much syrup she puts on her pancakes, it might as well be soup. How's everyone else?"

" _Pretty normal. Pyrrha's doing her thing where she scrutinizes Miló for any nicks or other imperfections, though._ "

A muffled and indignant, 'No I'm not!' reached Ruby's ear, followed by the inevitable grunt from Jaune as Pyrrha punched him in the shoulder.

" _But yeah… our MEC crew is itching to fight. The lucky pilot sitting in Blake's rig is really pumped for all the jetboot acrobatics the suit's capable of._ "

"Well, hopefully she doesn't go overboard and get herself killed by trying to be fancy. I know Gizmo is van Doorn's Pathfinder for a reason, but Blake got away with all the fancy footwork because she could project her aura to reinforce the armor and protect it from damage."

" _Hopefully they went over that during the crash course. Anyway, we're about ten minutes out from our drop zone, so I should probably get back to running through the pre-combat checklist. Catch you later, Captain Rose._ "

Ruby smiled at the title. Her promotion came as a surprise to Ruby, but it made sense when Bradford pointed out how many operations she had under her belt since the promotion to Lieutenant. A lot of hooting and hollering ensued during the brief ceremony following Bradford's announcement, which Ruby took to mean that everyone else wholeheartedly backed the decision to give her Captaincy.

"I should probably do the same, now that you mention it. Stay safe out there, Lieutenant Arc."

After Van Doorn's stint with Jaune's team in St. Louis, he put forth the motion that the leader of JNPR also be made an officer. He argued that Ruby's promotion made the decision even easier, as the chain of command within Strike Eight would still be clear. Jaune, predictably, tried to pass off the honor to Pyrrha, but she (just as predictably) refused. Ruby knew he would make a good officer, since he already proved himself a good leader for JNPR. Hopefully, the promotion would help him believe in his own leadership the way his team already did.

Ruby checked her chronometer before standing up at the back of the cargo hold to address the rest of her team, "Alright, we've still got fifteen minutes before we reach the drop zone. Is everyone finished with their gear check?"

A murmur of assent greeted her question, and Ruby flashed a smile before continuing, "Great. I don't know if you're aware, but Central Officer Bradford will not be directly handling our operation. As there are two base assaults running simultaneously, he has delegated the duties of the intelligence officer to Major Durand."

" _Happy to be of service, Captain!_ " Annette's voice chimed in over the Skyranger's PA, " _Field Commander van Doorn will be handling Blue Team's assault on the Nigerian base while I act as Red Team's point of contact, and the two of us will relay the overall status of each operation to Bradford. How are the new mods, Actual?_ "

Ruby closed her eyes and focused her thoughts on Yang. Within moments she saw herself, a thin psionic tether flowing out from her head to…

"Whoa, whoa! Warn me when you're gonna do that, Rubes!" Yang complained.

"Well, I can confirm that at least one works." Ruby responded to Annette, breaking the clairvoyance link she made with her sister.

" _Excellent! I don't mean to brag, but I'm pretty sure the new abilities we unlocked together will help deliver the best ass-whooping the aliens have ever seen. Keep me posted on your status during the operation, Captain. I'll be monitoring your progress from Mission Control. Durand out._ "

Almost as soon as Annette closed her channel, the Skyranger's pilot opened up his own, "Good thing you guys are always five steps ahead on your checklists, because it seems we had a tailwind on the way over here. We're about a minute out from the AO, so get ready to hustle."

"You heard the man." Ruby said to her team, "So let's gear up and get ready to bust some heads. Or perforate them. I'm not picky on how you go about it."

* * *

Jaune made sure he was the first one down the ropes when his team used their Skeleton Key to gain entry into the alien base. As Strike Eight's newly appointed Lieutenant and the squad leader for this mission, he wanted to make a good impression on his soldiers. While he readied Crocea Mors for battle, the rest of JNPR dropped in behind him, followed by the other three biological soldiers and the accompanying MECs.

The presence of Captain Beagle, while a source of derision for most operatives on account of his 'curse,' secretly provided a source of comfort for Jaune. Not only had the two worked together already, but Jaune knew that the bad mojo people seemed to associate Beagle with was entirely false. The Captain knew his stuff, no doubt about it. More than that, he believed in Jaune's abilities, telling the hunter as much on more than one occasion during the past week. He mentioned over beers in the lounge that, if Ruby ever needed a warm body to fill out Strike Eight for an op, he'd be happy to volunteer. When Bradford suggested the Captain for the Nigerian op, Jaune didn't even need to think twice about it. Of course, Jaune believed that Beagle would be the one assuming command at the time, as Bradford waited until later to inform the hunter of his appointment to Lieutenant.

MacAuley and Ortega rounded out the biologicals, also chosen because Jaune trusted their abilities from first-hand experience, especially MacAuley after the previous week's events. A Jaeger (Vulcan) and a Valkyrie (D.O.A.) accompanied the Pathfinder occupying Blake's suit. As Bradford noted, the strengths and weaknesses of Jaune's team of hunters were flipped when compared to Ruby's. Thanks to Jaune's defensive nature, Pyrrha's skirmishing style of combat, and Nora's general fortitude, a battle of attrition suited JNPR just fine (Bradford reminded Jaune that this was the reason the Central Officer always assigned him to landed/crashed UFOs with Pyrrha). If a high-priority target that needed to die _immediately_ presented itself, Bradford expressed concern that it would inflict no small amount of damage before Jaune's team put it down. He wasn't worried about the safety of JNPR, but rather that of his non-superhuman operatives. As a result, he requested that Jaune consider squad mates that specialized in outputting high volumes of damage to complement his team.

When the last MEC landed with a _thud_ at the rear of the squad, Jaune got to work, "Four, you're on point. Vahlen wants some field data on how well the modified Shadow Armor works, so make sure you put it through it's paces."

Ren activate the ghost protocol on his armor before reappearing a moment later, "We've already confirmed that it's able to draw upon Auric sources in the lab tests. Here's hoping the field test works just as well."

"The rest of us will follow behind with our Pathfinder on point. If Four bumps into anything, I want Eight to get fancy and find a good flanking position to support the rest of us. Ten will accompany you to help bring superior firepower."

The Pathfinder and the Valkyrie shared a brief fistbump to confirm they understood Jaune's instructions.

"The rest of us will proceed normally. With any luck, Four's stealth will be our ace that lets us get the drop on every alien squad we encounter. Do this right, and we'll be out of here in time for happy hour. Let's move."

Ren vanished once more and Jaune immediately lost track of his friend. No footfalls, no discernible visual distortion… he reminded himself that this is why Ren was the de facto Scout for his team. Jaune, Pyrrha, and Nora followed closely behind Gizmo while the rest of the team fell in line behind the hunters. As they progressed, Jaune glanced at Nora and briefly examined all the armor modifications Shen designed for her.

While the Chief Engineer did his best to keep the additional armor as light as possible for all the Remnant operatives, only Jaune and Pyrrha managed to come out with only minor modifications thanks to their usual gear already offering protection. Agile fighters like Ruby and Ren were given minimal 'upgrades' so as to avoid hampering their mobility. For Nora, Jaune recommended that Shen design a more substantial overhaul. Not only did she have the impressive strength to handle heavier armor, but Jaune felt that Nora's combat style lent itself well for a 'tankier' design philosophy. She didn't rely on speed so much as raw power, and so armor trending towards the Titan end of the XCOM spectrum could provide her with motor support as well as let her soak hits as she closed to engage with dangerous targets.

' _Hits like those from a Sectopod._ ' Jaune thought to himself. He had to admit, Shen had quite an impressive artistic flair. While the armor worn by most operatives favored function over form, Shen went above and beyond in an effort to preserve the styles and themes present in the outfits worn by each of his friends. Nora's protection, while certainly bulkier than her usual corset and skirt combo, still managed maintained a sense of minimalism in non-critical areas of the body. It wouldn't surprise Jaune if his friends decided to adopt Shen's gifts as permanent additions to their equipment even after they returned to Remnant.

Jaune's comm clicked, pulling him out of his thoughts and back to the mission at hand, "What's your status, Ren?"

"First patrol is up ahead, and it's a big one. Mix of Mechtoids, Mutons, and even a pair of Cyberdiscs."

"Well, I guess we knew this wouldn't be easy. I think everyone knows the drill: Dust rounds for the Mutons and plasma ammunition for the armored targets. Gizmo, go find a good vantage point so that D.O.A. can join you. Marksmen should focus down the Mutons first. Hammertime, prep the mechanicals with Chem while our Engineer throws out some smoke to keep us covered."

Jaune closed his eyes and tapped into the nervous feeling in his gut. Rather than try and suppress the butterflies, he let the fear and anxiety flow through him and make his neck hairs stand on end. He opened his eyes, saw the silvery web of his soul's armor flow across his sword, shield, and chest, and felt the surge of energy that came with it.

"Let's go kill us some aliens."

* * *

With a _crack_ , Ruby fired her rifle and the stealthed Seeker dropped to the floor amid a shower of sparks. The little bugger and its friends tried to use the chaos of the firefight to fade into obscurity and pick off exposed members of Ruby's team. Unfortunately for them, another one of the little perks Annette unlocked for Ruby gave her the ability to see more than the basic visible spectrum of color. The heat emissions from their Elerium generators made it all too easy for Ruby to find and snipe them one by one.

The rest of the team's first engagement seemed to progress just as smoothly. The slow and ponderous Berserkers, while extremely deadly in melee, continually failed to land a single blow on the agile shadow of Blake. A little slice here, a deft cut there, and Yang would jump in to land the killing blow before backing off to let Blake continue wearing down the others. Zhang and the squad's Guardian, 'Freya,' rushed the Muton Elites attempting to provide fire support for their Berserker allies, forcing the aliens' attention on the more immediate threat and away from Blake and Yang.

Weiss worked in tandem with the Shogun, 'Clank,' to take down the Heavy Floaters trying to flank the squad while Penny laid down a withering rain of suppressive fire to keep them from advancing. Ruby silently admitted that fighting four different pods simultaneously was less than ideal, but she reasoned that things could have gone worse. She turned her attentions to the Heavies, switching her ammo to the modified gauss rounds Shen developed for the mission. She targeted the faceplate of one alien and pulled the trigger. Ruby felt Crescent Rose buck as the coils in the barrel ejected the bullet, and she saw the small hole erupt on the Heavy Floater's armor as the round buried itself within the alien's flesh. Ruby had aimed for the Floater's head, and sighed when she saw that the slightly different dynamics of the bullet caused it to strike the target's grotesque torso instead. Nevertheless, a muted flash and explosion marked the Elerium Dust's detonation seconds later, and the alien roared as the left half of its chest liquefied from the ensuing explosion.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zhang get knocked back by one of the Elites. While the Colonel displayed impressive degree of strength, the raw biological muscle mass of the Muton race still had an advantage even against his Titan power armor.

"Five! Help Chilong take down those Elites!"

" _I'm on it!_ " The airborne Penny shifted her Superheavy Plasma cannon into its lance form before diving at breakneck speed towards the Muton group. Her lance spun up and glowed white hot before skewering the foremost Muton. The extreme heat and friction induced by the lance literally tore the alien apart from the inside, and it screamed with pain before finally succumbing to the wounds. Zhang seized the opportunity to launch himself forward, hammer in hand at a second Elite who watched in shock as Penny butchered its brother. The Colonel threw his whole weight into the swing, and cleanly knocked the alien off its feet. The pilot of Yang's MEC moved in to assist with the Muton scuffle and readied his Kinetic Strike Module. The elerium boosters flared into life, and the pilot brought the KSM crashing down on the stunned Muton as a blast from the welded Reflex Cannon punctuated the kill.

"Nice one, Talos!" Yang called out, pleased to see her protege living up to the honor of the Devastator suit.

The latest kills put XCOM at a clear advantage in the skirmish, and it took Ruby's team less than a minute to completely eradicate the opposition. After the last alien fell, Ruby ordered her squadmates to regroup, catch their breath, and run an equipment check before moving out. While Ruby examined Crescent Rose for any out-of-place components, Penny floated over to keep her company.

" _We did a good job with those guys._ " The hovering robot chirped.

"We certainly did." Ruby agreed, "How are you holding up? Shen's latest upgrades working okay?"

" _Yes!_ " Penny answered, " _The doctor's idea to deploy a blast shield when I shift to my lance mode is very helpful in keeping my hardware safe. I look forward to testing the new venom rounds when we encounter the Grimm!_ "

"If we encounter the Grimm." Ruby corrected, "But that's good to hear. Now, how are _you_ holding up?"

Penny paused, confused by the question, " _I'm not quite sure what you mean, Ruby._ "

The Captain sighed, "When Blake lost her limbs and found herself forced to fight inside a MEC, she had trouble adapting to the change on an emotional level. I know you volunteered to come and help us, but it can't be easy leaving your old body behind and finding yourself forced to fight inside a SHIV."

" _Oh._ " Penny said, trying to find an answer for her friend, "Well, I do miss my Aura, but I understand my father's need to keep the real Penny safe. There's no safer body for her than the one he designed with mister Ironwood. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the luxury of making a second one for me."

Ruby's eyes jerked up at Penny's answer, "Wait… what do you mean the 'real' Penny? You're one and the same, aren't you?"

" _Well, I'm a copy._ " Penny explained, " _I have all of her data files, yes, but she was the one that did everything I have stored in my memory. I'm simply a proxy, a means to an end that Ironwood used to satisfy a favor called in by your headmaster. When we get back, my experiences here will be re-integrated with the real one, and I will cease to exist._ "

"Penny, stop." Ruby said, mild irritation slowly building in her voice, "You are just as much Penny as the one on Remnant. What's more, you are here, ready and willing to help your friends in their time of need. There is no 'real' or 'fake' Penny here. You simply used your unique nature to find a way to help your friends by splitting yourself and keeping a part of you safe with your father. I'm sure that the other Penny, if given the choice, would be right here instead of you. You are both interchangeable, Penny: neither is superior to the other."

Penny remained silent for a few seconds before answering, " _I… didn't think of it that way. I don't know if I agree with you, but I will devote some time to thinking about what you've said._ " Penny propelled herself into the air and performed a flip, a small trick she used as a means to wordlessly convey happiness, " _You are a good friend, Ruby. Thank you._ "

Ruby heard Blake on her commlink, "Actual, this is Three. We have… a situation that you might want to investigate."

"Just a sec, Three." Ruby said, concentrating on her friend. In a moment, she could see everything Blake could through the eyes of her teammate. And what she saw definitely took her by surprise.

"Is… that a Cyberdisc?"

"It is."

Ruby 'stared' at the sparking-yet-intact machine sitting in its compact form before Blake, "I don't remember any 'discs during our firefight."

"That's because there weren't any. I moved up ahead a bit, and I think I came across their repair bay or something. All the equipment here looks automated, but it probably had its power diverted as soon as we made first contact."

"Understood, Three. I'm on my way. Everyone else, as you were, but be ready to move at a moment's notice." Ruby said, taking off with Penny towards Blake and the squad's latest problem.

The duo arrived to see Blake still standing over the Cyberdisc resting in its mechanical cradle. Sure enough, the room looked like a mechanical repair bay to Ruby. Multiple cradles similar to the one occupied by the Cyberdisc lined one wall of the room, each equipped with an array of mechanical arms and attachments used to make repairs, upgrades, and other modifications to the alien's cadre of robotic soldiers. This one appeared to suffer from the classic problem of someone not paying attention to the 'please do not turn off the power during system upgrades' warning message.

Blake turned to Ruby, "I can just destroy it if you want."

"I know, but what if we could bring it back to the base? All Vahlen's ever had to work with are wrecks, and I'm sure she could learn a thing or two from an intact specimen." Ruby pointed out.

"… Unless it comes back online in the lab and kills Vahlen before security can take it down. Or it has some hidden sensing equipment that can relay information back to the aliens about our base before we're able to remove it. Or-"

" _Or I can try talking to it._ "

Ruby and Blake stared at Penny before Ruby asked the obvious question, "Umm… how?"

" _Oh, Dr. Vahlen gave me this really neat coupling device._ " A small plate on Penny's SHIV slid open and a fine connector arm extended through the aperture, " _I just need to get an exposed section of the wiring, and I can start sending and receiving signals from the Cyberdisc's logic unit._ "

"This is really weird…" Ruby muttered before keying her mic, "Major? Can you confirm this?"

" _I just did. Bradford says he was made aware of Vahlen's side project for Penny about three days ago._ "

Ruby sighed, "Alright, alright. Let's see if we can crack this thing open-"

" _All done!_ " Penny declared. Ruby whipped her head around to see a small hole cut into the Cyberdisc's shell, still red-hot from the plasma torch that Vahlen apparently gave to Penny along with the coupling device.

" _Beginning signal transfer._ "

Ruby turned to Blake, "Hey, I have no idea how long this will take. Do you want to scout ahead while I watch Penny do her thing?"

Blake nodded before literally vanishing into thin air and moving ahead. Ruby turned back to Penny, "If something goes wrong, what do you need me to do?"

" _Oh, I think breaking the connection should be sufficient. The arm isn't particularly sturdy, so you can probably do it with your hands. But I'm already getting through! My initial diagnostic is about 80 percent complete. The cradle's power failure seemed to put the Cyberdisc in a sort of stasis. I'm carefully booting up its core systems while keeping the hardware bridges offline._ "

"Alright…" Ruby said, sighing once more, "Listen up, team. Penny's working on a little gift for Vahlen. I need the rest of you to move up to my position while Three checks ahead for more contacts."

" _I have made contact with the Cyberdisc's logic functions!_ " Penny announced, " _I am asking what his name is._ "

"His? Penny, what-?"

"He _says we can call him Gidjit, and is asking for us to state our purpose in reviving him._ "

"Uhh… why don't you handle that, Penny? You seem to know what you're doing."

" _Very well! I will continue to persuade Gidjit that we have good intentions._ "

Blake's voice crackled into Ruby's ear, "Actual, I've got eyes on another group of contacts. No sign of Grimm, but there's more heavy alien activity. Oddly enough, a lot of the contacts are Sectoids. Not Commanders… just your run-of-the-mill little gray men. They've got armor, though, which is a little cute."

"Just a sec, Three." Ruby said, concentrating on her friend. In moment, she could see everything Blake did through the eyes of her stealthy teammate. Indeed, Ruby counted many sectoids in the scene before her. She also saw several Thin Men operating strange consoles and several Mutons standing guard. The Sectoids didn't seem to be doing anything other than standing around and looking… scared?

"Strange. Any idea what those consoles are? I've never seen any aliens at the computers during our missions, so I wonder what's so special about these."

"No idea." Blake answered, slowly panning her eyes around for Ruby's benefit, "But there's a lot of hardware and holding that seems to be hooked up to those consoles."

" _Gidjit has decided that he believes us to be friendly! He is glad I woke him up._ "

"Hardware that we've never seen before, either." Ruby noted, "I watched a couple of vids on the previous base assaults, and I don't recognize this tech. Tanks look empty, too. I wonder what they're supposed to be filled with?"

"Well, there's all that lovely biomass flowing in pipes beneath the base's layout, no?" the Medic, Fonseca, suggested.

Yang made a slight gagging noise, "Yeah, I was happier _before_ you reminded me about the existence of those tubes."

" _The power failure has severely damaged several of Gidjits critical functions. I am able to communicate with his processor unit, but he is incapable of operating his own hardware without external assistance._ "

Ruby turned to Penny, "I'm guessing you can offer the relevant external assistance?"

" _I believe so!_ _But it will take time for me to secure and calibrate my communications bridge and get our friend functioning normally._ "

"Hopefully by 'normally' you mean 'still not shooting at us.' " Ruby said before keying her mic once more, "Three, keep watching the x-rays while the rest of us get into position. MECs, hang back until the fighting starts. It's nothing personal, but giant robots are a bit noisy." Ruby ordered

" _Understood, Actual._ " Talos affirmed.

"Everybody good? Let's get rolling. With any luck, we'll be able to jump these guys and clear them out before Penny's even done booting up our newest robot buddy."

* * *

Vahlen growled in mild frustration. The results finished compiling for her latest tests on the Grimm material, or what was left of it anyway: even with her attempts to environmentally seal the specimen chamber, the matter still seemed to evaporate into thin air. More frustrating, however, was the fact that the biomass still refused to react with _any_ of the stimuli she presented it with. She inserted samples of carbon, iron, chlorine, helium… even more complex materials like annealed steel and Elerium elicited no response from the corpse sample before the damn thing evaporated into oblivion. She also tried a few small tissue samples from various aliens in the back of her "Refrigerator" (as the operatives enjoyed calling it), again to no effect.

With a sigh, she opened up the chamber to clean out the yellow pus and prepare it for another test. On the bright side, the rate of decay seemed to be related to the surface-area-to-volume ratio of the sample, so she still had several of the larger corpses to work with before the evaporative trait claimed them as well. Vahlen grew lost in thought, trying to determine the next approach to solving her Grimm problem while she finished cleaning out the sealed test chamber. Her thoughts ground to a halt very quickly, however, when she heard the sound of glass shattering behind her, followed by a low growl.

Slowly, very slowly, she turned around to get a look at the source of the noise and found herself staring down a Beowolf amidst the ruins of some lab eqiupment. At least, it looked like a Beowolf. The limbs weren't complete, nor was the red and white face mask wasn't fully formed yet, but she could see matter flowing in rivers up its body to finish the body's structure and musculature. The scene before her reminded Vahlen of a mammalian gestation sped up hundred or thousands of times faster than normal. It took another vicious growl from the creature for Vahlen's self-preservation instincts to once again kick into action. She slammed the bright red button on the wall next to her, and the security klaxxons began to wail throughout the base.

"This is Doctor Vahlen requesting immediate armed backup at the private laboratory." She practically shouted into the PA system, panic starting to creep into her voice as the Beowolf took its first lurching step towards her, "I have a live Grimm specimen in here that needs to be put down immediately."

She pulled a sidearm off her hip and lined it up with the monster. After the aliens attacked HQ, Bradford mandated that _all_ staff undergo training and keep a pistol handy at all times. Vahlen appeased her friend by completing the bare minimum requirements Bradford set out, but now she wished she spent a little more time training at the range.

The Beowolf staggered forward again, and Vahlen's first bullet shattered a beaker to the creature's right. She fired twice more, one hitting absolutely nothing while the other barely grazed the Grimm's fur. It let out a bestial roar and pounced forward at the doctor, who screamed and fell backward. The Beowolf's bone structure still hadn't finished forming yet, so its leap fell a few inches short of Vahlen with a sickening _crunch_ , and the doctor unloaded at point-blank range into the Grimm's face. It winced and howled as the bullets ricocheted off the skull mask and smashed into glassware and electronics around the lab, but remained relatively unharmed by Vahlen's assault.

She threw the gun at the creature's face and scooted around the corner of her desk moments before it snapped out at her once again. Vahlen got to her feet and sprinted off to the far opposite end of the lab. While she certainly wanted to run into the hallway and take her chances sprinting as far from the facility as possible, she told the base security that the hostile was located in her lab, and so she needed to make sure it stayed there until the big guns arrived. While the monster picked itself up off the floor, she looked around for anything she could weaponize in her bid for survival. Chemical compounds, computer banks, beakers and tongs…

Sulphuric acid.

Vahlen watched the Beowolf move closer, waiting for it to come within throwing distance before she had to pick up the small canister. Without time to put on insulating gloves, Vahlen didn't want to risk coming into contact with the caustic chemical any longer than necessary. She counted each step, hoping that her gambit would pay off. The Beowolf roared, and Vahlen leapt into action. She grabbed the canister and quickly unscrewed the loosely-secured lid before throwing the container's fluid contents at the Grimm. Almost immediately, Vahlen observed visible effects of the chemical's contact with the Grimm's body. An acrid scent filled the room as the acid set to work decomposing the proteins and lipids in the Beowolf's flesh. The monster clutched its face in pain while the acid wreaked havoc on its eyes, dehydrating them and inducing thermal burns.

The Beowolf howled in surprise, buying Vahlen a few more precious seconds to look for another way to keep the creature distracted. Fortunately, she didn't need to, as Vahlen heard five to ten pairs of boots pounding down the hallway. Moments later, the security detail stormed the lab and opened fire with an array of Gauss rifles to eliminate the Grimm threat. With a hailstorm of bullets ripping through its now-fragile skin from all directions, the Beowolf quickly became a lifeless heap on the floor.

While the team of operatives moved to secure the room, Vahlen's mind began to race. What happened to make the creature materialize? It certainly wasn't from her supply of Grimm corpses, since the storage door to their housing remained intact, so what caused it?

"Uhh… ma'am?" One of the operatives called out uncertainly, "You might want to take a look at this…"

Vahlen walked over to see the monster completely riddled with bullet holes, to the point that sizable chunks of the flesh were completely torn away. Beyond the familiar black fur and muscle, she saw a strange mass reveal itself from the creature's midst. Vahlen's jaw nearly dropped as she saw what could only be described as the half-eaten corpse of a Sectoid, slick with the familiar yellow pus usually left behind by the Grimm decomposition.

"But how…?"

The doctor froze. She remembered that she had a Sectoid corpse resting in an incubator to run some low-priority analysis on its biological tissue. The corpse was fresh from Strike Four's mission yesterday, and Vahlen wondered if she could uncover some degenerative properties within the alien's physiology by observing its decaying process. She glanced at the table where the incubator should be, and realized that it was, in fact, the smashed hardware she saw when she first encountered the Grimm.

"… Oh, this is not good." She muttered, the pieces slowly coming together.

"You there!" She shouted at the nearest operative, "Take half of your squad and sweep the freezer where we keep the alien bodies stocked. Specifically, check the records and visually confirm that all _recent_ additions are still present and accounted for. The rest of you, I need an escort to Mission Control in case more of those things is already lurking about. I have intel that the Central Officer needs to know about _now_."

* * *

The wind whistled in Jaune's ears as he soared over the battlefield. With sword and shield at the ready, the hunter slammed into the unfortunate Muton standing at his point of impact. The Aura surrounding his shield flared as it came into contact with the alien and absorbed the brunt of Jaune's deceleration. He stood up and plunged the shimmering Crocea Mors deep into the alien's chest before turning with his shield raised to deflect the plasma stream coming from three other Mutons. While Jaune's Aura performed valiantly, several balls of plasma bled through his shield and struck the armor protecting his body. All in all, an assault that would have toasted any normal operative instead left Jaune with a few mildly painful burns.

His little blitzkrieg served its purpose, however. With all of the alien gunners focusing on him, the marksmen on his squad had plenty of time to line up shots and easily neutralize the remaining Mutons and leave them gurgling in a pile of blood. Jaune deactivated his semblance armor and wiped the gore off of his sword on his jeans. While the rest of his squad moved to regroup with their Lieutenant, Jaune surveyed the damage they caused. Strewn about the field lay an impressive number of heavy robotics wrecks along with a staggering number of Mutons and Chryssalids. The 'Lids ambushed his squad midway through the firefight, and Jaune was pleased with how effectively the team handled the surprise development.

Still, the engagement didn't go perfectly according to plan. Jaune watched MacAuley as the Engineer performed rudimentary field repairs on two of the MECs. The pilot of Blake's Vanguard managed to use her superior agility to avoid the fusillade of plasma coming from the Muton teams, but the other two didn't enjoy the same luck. Nobody took a Chryssalid claw to the chest, thankfully, but a healthy dose of plasma burns ensured that Ren had plenty of opportunities to ply his medical trade.

The large quantity of peculiar equipment lining the walls intrigued Jaune the most, however. When he reported it to van Doorn, the Field Commander commented that Ruby's team discovered similar hardware on their op as well. Jaune was considering taking five to further examine the machines when his commlink sprang to life.

"Actual, this is Bradford, do you copy?"

"I do sir. Is everything alright?" Jaune asked, though the Central Officer's tone implied the exact opposite.

Vahlen, rather than Bradford answered, "We had a Grimm incident in the lab, Jaune, and the implications are not good."

"Wait," Beagle interrupted, "Did she just say _Grimm attacked HQ_?"

"I've been working for weeks trying to figure out how the Grimm essence works, but I've been going about it all wrong." Vahlen explained, ignoring the Captain's interjection.

Pyrrha came to a halt next to Jaune in front of a large, clear cylinder container, and the two exchanged glances before Jaune answered, "I don't see how this is relevant to the mission, doctor."

"Corpses, Jaune." Vahlen said, "Or more specifically, fresh biological matter. The Grimm essence agglomerates on the recently deceased. I don't know why, yet, but multiple incidents in the lab make me one hundred percent sure about this. That's why you found all those mutilated Sectoid bodies aboard the Harvester, and that's why Terror missions are the perfect breeding ground for Grimm."

Jaune felt ice creeping into his veins as he looked across the battlefield for a second time, "Well… we have a lot of bodies around here, doctor, so I appreciate the heads up, but we haven't seen any signs of the Grimm. I think we'll be okay." The look Pyrrha gave him told Jaune that she knew the only person he was trying to convince was himself.

"That's just it! The Grimm essence that formed itself into a Beowolf in my lab seemed to come out of nowhere. When a dead Grimm evaporates, that black mist doesn't just disappear: it scatters to the point where it's no longer visible. Even my specialized equipment couldn't detect it, which is why I assumed the material just annihilates itself once it disperses. But you won't see it until it begins forming on surface of a corpse and shaping it into those creatures you're all too familiar with."

" _I believe her, Jaune._ " Ruby's voice crackled over the comms, " _We just killed a buttload of Sectoid's over here, and black mist started flowing out of the bullet wounds._ "

Slowly, Jaune and Pyrrha backed away from the clear container, and Jaune's voice became less steady as he responded, "So… these big, mysterious machines that are attached to seemingly empty cylinders could be holding little floating bits of Grimm?"

"Big, mysterious… what?" Vahlen asked in confusion. The comms went dead for a moment, and Jaune guessed that Bradford was filling Vahlen in on the new hardware. Eventually, the two finished with their brief update, and Vahlen returned, her voice shakier than ever, "This sounds a lot like the equipment the salvage crews brought back from the Harvester, only on a much larger scale. My teams so far haven't been able to discern their purpose, but if that's because we didn't know how to study the Grimm…"

"Then they could be related somehow." Jaune finished, "Well, at least there's only a few alien bodies here that we killed that they could use to make Grimm."

"Unless those pipes beneath us are filled with the remains of their human abductees. They might be employing some kind of technology to keep the material fresh." Pyrrha pointed out.

Jaune's mouth went dry as he looked down over the railing to see the sloshing, pulsating mass of… _something_ as it flowed through the massive pipes zig-zagging along the length of the base. He swallowed hard, then stiffly backed away, "Y-yeah… that would give them more matter to work with, wouldn't it?"

A loud hissing noise interrupted his thoughts, and he looked up to see several of the cylinder walls pneumatically open, though he couldn't see or hear anything coming out.

" _Jaune?_ " Ruby asked, " _Did the cylinders in your base-?_ "

"Open up? Yeah…" He answered.

Jaune readied his sword and shield while backing up once more towards the rest of his squad, "Looks like we'll be confirming your theory in a moment, doctor, because those big empty chambers are now leaking their contents into the room."

Something made a squelching noise under his shoe, and Jaune looked down to see that he'd stepped in a small puddle of black liquid. He wanted to believe it was just some alien blood, but Jaune had never seen blood squirm and writhe before. He and Pyrrha double-timed it back to the rest of his team while they finished their last few preparations for the inevitable fight ahead of them.

"Give me a supply check, guys." Jaune said as he watched the first Muton become completely encased in black fluid.

"Got two HE's and a Shredder left for my launcher." Beagle counted, "Mac has a chem grenade and a pair of smokes left. Hammertime's got plenty of boom power, and Shrike should have enough happy juice to keep us going for a while, provided one of those fuckers doesn't take our heads off in one swipe."

"Well, put enough gauss rounds in one, and maybe it'll go down quick." Jaune replied, wincing as he heard the sound of flesh and bone splintering as the blobs continued their metamorphosis, "Everybody full on ammo?"

D.O.A. stepped forward and lined his Railgun up with the nearest target, " _Affirmative, Lieutenant. We are locked and ready. Say the word, and we will open fire._ "

Jaune held a hand up, "Not yet, Ten. I'm sure Vahlen would be very disappointed if we failed to capture video of an uninterrupted transformation because we got a little trigger-happy. Once it becomes recognizable as a creature of Grimm, then we will engage. Gizmo? How much practice have you had with the holorifle's blade form?"

" _Enough._ " The Pathfinder answered curtly before segmented blade sections began to extend from her weapon.

"Good. Would you care to join the hunters on the front lines?"

" _Absolutely._ "

For the first time since Vahlen dropped her dire news on the team, a smile found its way onto Jaune's lips, "We can do this, guys. After all, we're stronger together."

* * *

 _Mr. Bradford,_

 _I apologize for the delay in my response to your previous missive. I understand that a day and a half on my end is considerably more on yours, so I hope this message reaches you in time to be of any use._

 _Your discovery and subsequent research of Grimm on Earth is both intriguing and disturbing. The fact that the Grimm do not vanish upon death is concerning in and of itself, but the yellow fluid your operatives have encountered within the core of each Grimm is likewise disturbing. Neither of these attributes exist for Grimm on Remnant (to my knowledge), but I spent a few hours trying to research the subject to see if I could come up with anything. My efforts were disappointingly fruitless, but I did find one text that theorized on the origin of Grimm. It posits that, though the Grimm are soulless creatures, their existence is inexorably linked to the concept of the soul. Born as the natural enemies of those who possess such energy, it is their singular quest to eradicate and consume the soul's force in the world._

 _While much of the text is fluffy rhetoric, I believe that there may be some truth to the publication if you read between the lines. The origin of the Grimm, though nebulous, is likely tied to the very beings they seek to kill. Be cautious out there, Bradford. If your alien invaders have been able to research the secrets of these cruel, single-minded creatures, your operatives may very well be walking into a trap._

 _Best,_

 _Ozpin_


	35. Smoke and Mirrors

A/N: Happy New Year, errybody!

* * *

"Two, keep the Beowolves contained to the center of the room with your glyphs."

"Yes sir."

"Three, Four, and Five, assist Two by locking down the Beowolves in melee to keep them off our back line. Five keep me appraised of our new friend's reboot process."

" _Of course, Captain!_ "

"Six, coordinate the MECs and take down high-priority targets, starting with the Death Stalker. Freya, if things start getting hot for the melee fighters, jump in and do your thing."

" _Understood._ "

"Seven, you're the doctor's point of contact. She says that this Grimm stuff latches onto bio matter, and we'll run out of bullets long before the aliens run out of corpses, so it's up to you and Vahlen to figure out a way to contain the infection. We'll do our best to keep the Grimm off of you while you work, but the occasional smoke or flashbang would certainly be helpful if you find yourself with a spare moment."

"I won't let you down, Actual!"

"Alright everyone, let's move!"

Ruby finished handing out orders not a moment too soon, as the first batch of Grimm finished forming seconds later. The aliens managed to pull off a horrific ruse, and several unsolved mysteries were starting to fall into place ever since her team ambushed the wandering Sectoids ten minutes ago. As expected, her operatives had killed the enemy squads with extreme ease. In fact, Ruby wondered why the aliens even bothered to field them at all when she knew they had much more dangerous soldiers like Floaters or Mutons. The Sectoid corpses provided her answer, however, when she saw black mist seeping out of their battle wounds. Matters got worse once Vahlen got on the comms and had her conversation with the two teams about Grimm essence latching onto corpses and growing into full-fledged monsters.

The image caused Ruby's mind to flash back to the live video feed Strike Five provided during their boarding of the alien Harvester. Jaune found multiple Sectoid bodies scattered in the various corners of the main room. While some of their wounds certainly resembled claw marks inflicted by the Nevermore Jaune's team encountered, more of the injuries were far more grotesque and completely unlike any evidence of Grimm Ruby had ever seen. The sight she now held before her made Ruby realize that those wounds weren't caused by the Grimm in the Harvester, they were the _genesis_ of the damn creatures. Some way, somehow, the aliens determined a way to inject Grimm matter into Sectoids without killing them, and could now use the small creatures as carriers for the infection. Not only could the aliens ensure the Grimm matter was delivered to the exact location they wanted, but the Sectoids could also serve as effective suicide bombers by releasing their contagion upon death at the hands of XCOM operatives.

Amusingly enough, Weiss's old habit of double-tapping her fallen foes proved to be useful once again. Ruby paid attention to the Sectoids her partner executed, and noticed that the resultant Grimm were somewhat weaker than the rest. Maybe it did something to the structural integrity of the host? Ruby didn't know, but she figured Vahlen would appreciate the extra info after they all came back from the op.

Blake, Yang, and Penny charged to meet the Beowolves head-on while Weiss rained ice upon them, corralling the beasts into an area of her choosing. The powerful thump of discharging heavy weapons filled the room as the squad's MECs opened fire on the still-forming Death Stalker. Ruby sighed as she watched the shots inflict only minor damage even though the creature was still in its 'infant' stages. Perhaps Vahlen _should_ have spent some time analyzing the Death Stalker's chitin shell after the St. Louis op, because it certainly seemed better than any armor available to Bradford's agents.

Fonseca dashed off to the console on the far side of the room. Since XCOM didn't have any way of directly neutralizing the Grimm essence yet, Vahlen needed all the help she could get on the matter, and that included any documentation left by the aliens in their data banks. Not only that, but there was the matter of the clear chambers standing behind the consoles that opened up almost as soon as the Sectoids released their payload. While they looked empty, it didn't take a genius to figure out what was actually inside. Thus, Fonseca prioritized finding a way to shut off the flow of additional Grimm essence before he searched for clues to help Vahlen develop a countermeasure to the Grimm's rebirthing process. The squad's Guardian MEC stomped after Fonseca to make sure no Grimm had the opportunity to take advantage of the preoccupied Medic.

"Try to flip it!" Blake called out to the MECs, "The underside has no armor, and is a lot more vulnerable."

Talos stowed his rifle and punched his fists together as he deployed the suit's Juggernaut plating, " _Understood. Moving to engage._ "

"This one doesn't seem to have a stinger, so it should be easy to handle." Weiss observed. Indeed, Ruby noticed the same thing when the fight began. Ruby didn't know if there was something wrong with this particular Death Stalker, or their stingers didn't develop until later. Either way, it meant one less thing for her team to worry about.

Talos, fully encased in his additional armor, came to a halt in front of Ruby. A pair of shots from Eight's Reflex Cannons quickly pulled the scorpion's attention on the MEC. With black tar still oozing off of its nascent form, the Death Stalker skittered towards the waiting pilot. It raised one pincer and lashed out at Talos, who deflected it with an armored punch.

" _You'll have to do better than that._ " The Archer sneered before stomping on one of the Grimm's mandibles with a sickening snap. The Death Stalker shrieked in pain before desperately swiping with its other claw. It latched onto the Devastator's leg, and Ruby heard the sound of grinding as the creature tried to crush the alloyed metal. A point-blank shot from Talos's shotgun tore through the arm of the clamped pincer before the pilot reared back his arm and activated the Kinetic Strike Module to crush the exposed joint.

In what seemed like a final bid for survival, The Death Stalker started to bang on the MEC's frame with its stumpy tail. The pathetic sight of the fleshy appendage bumping into Talos's hardened armor almost made Ruby feel bad for the creature.

" _This is child's pla-SHIT._ "

The last time the Death Stalker's tail reared back, a familiar golden-orange bulb punctured through the end of the tail, and Talos had just enough time to raise his arm to block the stinger. The sharp weapon embedded itself firmly into the MEC's armored plating, and the Death Stalker began to use its remaining claw to once again attack the MEC. Ruby's fellow huntresses were too busy keeping the Beowolf population in check to help dismantle the tail, and Ruby saw sweat dripping off of Fonseca's brow when she focused her enhanced vision on the Medic to check his progress.

"All MECs, target the stinger!" Zhang roared. Rather than assist them with bringing down the armored target, the Colonel made better use of his weapon's high rate of fire by hosing down the Beowolves.

Ruby looked through Crescent Rose's scope and took aim at the joint keeping the stinger attached to the Death Stalker's tail. She breathed out and squeezed the trigger, feeling a slight recoil as her weapon's new gauss technology shot a hardened venom round straight into the monster's exposed flesh.. She watched as the caustic acid packed into the round began its work of eating away at the monster's hide. The Death Stalker redoubled its attack on Talos, apparently trying to work through the pain by taking it out on the shaken MEC. A pair of Particle Cannons boomed, and two more hits rocked the Death Stalker. Even so, the stinger remained firmly attached to the tail. With so many team members focusing on a single target, the Beowolf population was starting to become a problem.

"Five, we could really use Gidjit's help right about now." Ruby commented, popping off another shot at the Death Stalker.

" _System reboot is at 97 percent, Captain!_ "

Considering how long the Cyberdisc had been rebooting already, Ruby didn't want to count on its help with Talos's current problem. The sound of rending metal brought her attention back to the fight, and Ruby saw Talos's plating begin to buckle under the Death Stalker's clawed assault. She cursed before switching Crescent Rose to its scythe form. While it helped for her to stay out of the thick of things and assess the flow of combat from a removed position, this situation called for Ruby to get her hands dirty. A few quick Dust shots gave her the momentum she needed to careen through the air and deftly land on Talos's shoulder. A swift slice from her scythe proved more than enough encouragement for the Death Stalker to disengage from the MEC.

The two support MECs continued to assault the Death Stalker while Talos pulled out to assess the damage done to his suit. Ruby hefted her scythe and prepared for her dance with the Grimm. She easily sidestepped the first stinger strike and rolled under the followup claw swipe before getting to her feet and slashing at the exposed black flesh on its arm. When the stinger came down for a second time, Ruby buried Crescent Rose into the backside of the tail and let herself get pulled over the Death Stalker's body as it yanked the appendage back in surprise. She ripped her scythe out and landed neatly on the floor behind her foe before attacking with an upward slice that left a deep cut along the length of the Grimm's rear.

"Captain!" Zhang called out. Ruby looked back in time to deflect a swipe from an Alpha Beowolf. She groaned in frustration at the monster's untimely arrival.

"Freya, handle the Death Stalker."

" _Of course._ "

Ruby vaulted over her foe as it lunged in for another strike before countering with a sweep to its legs. The Beowolf howled in pain, but remained standing as it spun around to face her.

"Actual, the tide of Beowolves is starting to push us back." Blake commented, "They keep crawling up from below, which pretty much confirms our biomatter theory about those tubes."

Ruby gritted her teeth, "Yang. Grenade. _Now._ "

"Yes ma'am!" Ruby caught the explosive, primed it, and rolled it under the Death Stalker. The Grimm was too distracted by its battle with Freya to notice the danger before it detonated in a ball of fiery plasma directly beneath its most vulnerable stretch of hide. Ruby returned to her fight with the Alpha. She fired Crescent Rose square into its chest and let herself get propelled back to put some distance between herself and the wolf before dashing at lightning speed back into melee range. She alternated between a few rapid strikes and backing off, using her superior speed to remain one step ahead of her foe.

She was just about to dive back in to deliver a few more slices to the Alpha when a plasma grenade rolled to a stop at its feet and vaporized the monster in a cloud of green energy. The hairs on the back of Ruby's neck stood on end, and she turned to look at the source of the attack. Floating behind Zhang and fully unpacked in its Assault Mode was Penny's Cyberdisc friend.

" _Gidjit is fully operational and ready to assist, Captain!_ " Penny called out.

Ruby breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe they could actually turn this battle around now.

* * *

Jaune slowly crept down the hallway. The air itself seemed to be waiting with bated breath as he inched forward, sword and shield ready to counter any ambushes. His team had already suffered two such surprise attacks, and Ren was trying his best to carefully ration his medical supplies. Currently, Nora accompanied Jaune at the front, Pyrrha kept an eye out from the rear, while the MECs covered the flanks to round out the protective 'box' Jaune built for the squad's squishier operatives, with Ren keeping a closer eye on the wounded.

The first skirmish with the Grimm had finished almost as quickly as it started when additional reinforcements failed to appear after the initial wave. Chatter over the comms from Ruby's team told Jaune that their Grimm situation showed no signs of slowing down. Staring at the corpses of Grimm at his team's feet, Jaune wondered why his battle turned out different from Ruby's. A quick examination of the delivery tubes revealed that they were, in fact, sealed once more, a detail that his team missed during the heat of battle. After regrouping, Blue Team began its approach down the next hallway. The first ambush happened about halfway to the next room, with MacAuley as the unfortunate victim.

Although his Corsair Armor protected the Engineer long enough for the hunters to rush in and take down the Beowolves, MacAuley still suffered substantial injuries. After Ren finished his work with the wounds, MacAuley learned that he could no longer aim very well. Ren estimated that a week's rest in the medbay would get him back into fighting shape, but the mission needed to be finished first.

"I was always a shit marksman, anyway." MacAuley commented, trying to make light of the situation, "At least I don't have to aim the Arc Thrower from fifty yards away to repair a fuckin' MEC, and Valkyrie can handle the grenade tosses."

The second ambush happened a few minutes later when a pair of Seekers locked down Beagle and Ortega. As the team turned around to engage the new threat, a pod of Chryssalids dropped down from the rafters further ahead, intending to catch the operatives off-guard while they dealt with the Seekers. The MECs dealt with the Chryssalids while the precision strikes of Ren, Pyrrha, and Jaune pulled the Seekers off their teammates.

" _Lieutenant._ " Gizmo said curtly, and Jaune turned to see what the problem was while Nora finished off the Seekers. Black mist coalesced around the dead Chryssalid corpses, and the operatives of Blue Team found themselves face-to-face with a pack of Beowolves led by an Alpha. The team managed to come out of that scrape with only minor cuts and bruises, but Jaune began to see a pattern in the alien tactics. Consequently, his operatives found themselves in their current formation with Jaune leading from the front.

"Have you ever seen Grimm set up ambushes before?" Jaune asked Nora.

"Except for the ones Blake and Ren said they found back in St. Louis, nope." Nora answered, "But it could be some kind of trick the aliens are pulling. I know we're pretty sure they can't directly control the Grimm, but I wouldn't doubt that they've got other skullduggerous tactics up their sleeves."

Jaune snorted, "Nora, I don't think 'skullduggerous' is actually a word. But yeah, you may have a point there. Or maybe these Grimm have actually learned ambush tactics. After what we've already learned about the Grimm, I don't think I'd be particularly shocked to find out if that's true."

With a shrug, Nora slung Magnhild over her shoulder, "Either way, they still die after a judicious application of Old Faithful."

"Nora, you never call your hammer 'Old Faithful.' "

"Except I just did! Whatchu gotta say to _that_ , eh?" Nora countered with a grin.

"Contacts ahead." Ortega interrupted, his extra ears twitching, "Sounds like Beowolves."

Jaune's grip on Crocea Mors tightened, and he pushed a little more Aura into strengthening his Semblance, "Odd that they're giving themselves away, when they were totally quiet before. No matter, form up, team. I'll go in first with Hammertime and Gizmo. Vulcan and 3-13 will provide ranged support while Ares stands guard with D.O.A. in case this is another feint. Keep your rocket hot, Beags. Hopefully we won't need it, but-"

"Rockets are like condoms, yeah." Beagle finished

Jaune stared at the Captain, "I… what?"

"It's better to have one and not need it, than need it and not have one. Come on, how have you not heard that before?" Beagle asked in annoyance.

Shaking his head, Jaune motioned for Nora and Gizmo to break off from the group and follow him. Nora switched Magnhild to its launcher form while the MEC readied her segmented blade. The trio ran up the ramp and found themselves squaring off against a pack of six Beowolves.

"Easy pickings." Nora said with a grin. She came to a halt and took aim while her two squadmates continued charging forward. With a bang and a whistle, two pink contrails streaked past Jaune and exploded in the face of their enemies. The Grimm staggered from the blast, but held their ground. Jaune and Gizmo took the last few steps between themselves and the pack at a sprint, with the former's Remnant physiology allowing him to keep pace with the latter. The Beowolves roared and both sides collided. Gizmo crashed into the lead Beowolf before firing her drifter jets to boost the MEC's maneuverability. Jaune deflected the opening strike of his target before continuing past it to skewer the one behind.

With a giddy yell, Nora joined the fray with a downward smash from Magnhild, and the fight began in earnest. The first thing Jaune noticed was that these Beowolves fought with slightly more combat finesse than the ones they'd battled in the past month. More than once, Jaune sliced through thin air as his target dodged the blow. They weren't coordinating as a group, much to his relief, but the added difficulty still annoyed him.

"Squad, move across the lower platform and try to flank. Three, Four, stick with them to ward off any potential ambushes." Jaune ordered between sword blows.

On the bright side, Nora and Gizmo seemed to coordinate wonderfully. Despite the battle being their first together, the MEC pilot quickly adapted to Nora's explosive combat style. Jaune watched his friend roll under a Beowolf swipe before getting launched into the air with the help of a knee hike from Gizmo. After Nora slammed her hammer down into the steel floor, the Pathfinder used the momentary stun to jet boost over the huntress's crouched frame and pulverize one of the monsters.

Ortega's crisp voice came through Jaune's ear piece, "Lieutenant, we have Thin Men on approach."

"Open fire, with the Marksmen leading off. We don't need them making things more complicated." Jaune answered, deflecting another clawed swipe with his shield before rolling back to let Nora safely drop in with her hammer. Three of the Grimm lay dead with the other not far behind. With any luck, he could wrap up with these Beowolves and help-

"Lieutenant!"

A salvo of green plasma whizzed past Jaune's face, though he quickly realized that he wasn't the intended target. The shots struck one of the Grimm carcasses, which started to glow white-hot before exploding in a gory mess. Jaune yelled in surprise before running to Nora's defense when he saw his teammate get tossed through the air from the blast. He heard the Thin Men fire again, and a second corpse exploded seconds later. Jaune quickly helped Nora to her feet before capitalizing on the sudden adrenaline rush he felt by pushing his newfound energy into his Semblance.

" _Systems damaged, but I'm okay._ " Gizmo reported amidst the black smoke rising up into the air, " _Visual acuity has been severely reduced._ "

Jaune gritted his teeth when he saw that the Pathfinder was right. Whatever the Thin Men did to those Beowolves, it completely scattered their essence. While the smoke screen would dissipate soon, he didn't want to give the remaining Grimm a chance to take advantage of the temporary smoke screen.

"Nora."

"One step ahead of you, boss." She answered, Magnhild locking into its launcher state, "You might want to clear out, Gizmo."

Jaune heard the familiar sound of the Vanguard's Jetboot Module firing up and nodded at Nora. A green explosive sang out and disappeared into the black fog before exploding in a flurry of galeforce wind. Through the dissipating mist, Jaune saw a Beowolf lunging at him with hatred burning in its eyes. He yelped and raised his shield to block, grunting as the full weight of the Grimm slammed into his defenses.

"Actual, I'm seeing Grimm essence reforming on the bodies of the dead Thin Men." Ortega reported.

"It's like they're using the exploding trick to simultaneously get one last shot out of their shocktroops and recycle the essence for the next wave of fighters." Pyrrha analyzed, "Bad news for us, but it's an effective tactic."

Jaune sighed, "Then we need to clear out the rest of the aliens before we can put an end to the Grimm. And I have a hunch that the big man calling the shots will be waiting for us at the end."

"Yup." Beagle agreed, "If there's one thing these alien fucks aren't good at, it's changing up their base layout. We just gotta keep pushing forward until we hit the Command Room way at the end."

Jaune heard the sound of plasma hissing through the air before a Thin Man wheezed its last breath in a puff of acid.

"All alien contacts are down." Ortega reported, "We should eliminate the Grimm and push on before more arrive to detonate them."

"Agreed. I want Three and Four to move ahead with Gizmo and engage any hostiles that try to approach. The rest of us will deal with the wolves before joining you. Let's move!"

* * *

As it turned out, Gidgit proved to be a mixed blessing. Ruby didn't quite understand the details of how Penny reprogrammed the Cyberdisc, nor did she understand what her friend meant when she talked about some 'processor bridge' that allowed her to keep the robot fit for combat, but that didn't really change the results. Once Gidgit finished rebooting, Penny pulled back from the Beowolf melee and reverted to her ranged weaponry. The two robots then rained fiery death upon the Grimm below. The downsides became apparent when the Grimm struck by Gidgit began exploding.

"Well that's new." Yang commented dryly, "Because exploding Grimm is _exactly_ what we need right now."

"Five, have Gidgit hold fire against the Grimm. Something must be wrong with its weaponry."

" _Or it's an intended side effect, Actual._ " Annette's voice crackled over the comms, " _The Field Commander is receiving new intel from Blue Team that the aliens seem to have the capability to detonate Grimm with weapons fire. If your new ally was outfitted with this capability before the mission…_ "

Ruby nodded, though Annette couldn't see it, "Understood. Five, Gidgit is not to engage Grimm hostiles until we have a chance to analyze its weaponry. The Grimm's permanence is our one advantage in winning this fight. Blowing up the corpses will just mean the same stuff will keep coming back until our ammo vanishes."

" _Copy that! Sorry he couldn't be more helpful._ "

"Well, I wouldn't mind watching it try to make an Ethereal explode." Ruby joked as she lined up another shot, "Until then, he can just watch the show."

With Gidgit back out of the equation, Red Team's battle continued as before, and Ruby once again felt her squad getting pushed back. Every now and then, she stole a glance at Fonseca, who remained hunched over the console each time she looked.

"Any time soon would be great, Otter."

"I wish I could tell you this was easy, Captain, but it's not." He retorted, "Unless you'd like to try your hand at it…?"

Ruby laughed, "No, that's alright. The problem is that I don't know how much longer we can hold this position for you."

"I do." Zhang commented, "Not very."

"Well that's just great," Fonseca said, throwing his hands into the air, " 'No pressure, Otter, but the lives of the _entire team_ rest squarely on your shoulders. Have fun.' "

"Pretty much." Yang agreed.

"Well here!" The Medic shouted before priming a Flashbang and chucking it into the middle of the room. It detonated, leaving the Beowolves stunned for a few precious seconds. Blake and Yang tore through as many as they could while the distraction lasted, and Zhang's MEC team hammered the masses from above.

Zhang grunted in approval, "That probably bought you about thirty seconds. Nicely done."

"Oh, fuck you too!"

Ruby sighed before closing her eyes and mentally focusing on Fonseca. Once she established a psionic link with the Medic, she slowly filled the connection with positive energy and calm emotions before whispering into his mind.

 _You can do this, Fonseca. Don't worry about Zhang and focus on the task at hand. I believe in you._

She saw the Medic relax from across the room. He glanced back and made eye contact with his Captain and gave her an almost imperceptible nod before turning back to the console. Ruby watched as he attacked the controls with renewed vigor, and the sight inspired her to fight harder against the Grimm as well. Shot after shot rang out as the huntress searched for targets to satisfy her bloodlust.

"C'mon guys!" She shouted, feeling a surge of confidence wash over her, "We've got this!"

The rest of her team must have felt it too, because they threw themselves against the Grimm with an unholy vengeance. Glyph after glyph appeared as Weiss twirled Myrtenaster like a conductor would their baton. Every few seconds, the revolver of her sword locked in a new dust cartridge, and the Grimm's suffering would switch from ice to fire, or lightning to elerium. Ruby struggled to track Blake, who moved with the speed of shadows as she cut through her unsuspecting victims with Gambol Shroud. All of Yang's injuries and pent-up rage burned within her, and she delivered blows backed by the force of a hundred burning suns in the middle of July. Zhang roared as he called out targets for the MECs, who hammered the Grimm with no mercy. Even Penny, with her adorably cheerful voice, sounded terrifying as she shouted at the Grimm, " _Not one of you is going to survive this!_ "

Ruby heard the telltale _click_ of her gun running dry, and so she switched Crescent Rose into its scythe form before dashing into the fray.

"Weiss, with me!"

Her partner nodded and propelled herself off of a glyph to join Ruby down below. Sword and scythe at the ready, the two of them stared down a fresh pack of Beowolves.

Weiss glanced at Ruby, "So what's the plan?"

"Shock and Awe." Ruby answered with a grin. Myrtenaster's barrel spun until the yellow dust clicked into place, and a large glyph blinked into existence above the Grimm. Lightning erupted from Weiss's magic and arced down to the Beowolves below. An instant later, Ruby took off, dashing through the pack as she sliced at her victims along the way. A yellow platform appeared in front of Ruby once she reached the back of the mob, allowing her to throw herself back into the thick of combat without missing a beat.

"To your left!" Ruby heeded her partner's warning and crouched low to duck under a swipe before bringing Crescent Rose up to eviscerate the offending Beowolf. Lightning continued to lash out at the standing Grimm, keeping them distracted while Ruby slowly whittled them down. Every so often, Ruby felt a particle round slam into a Beowolf behind her as the MECs also took advantage of Weiss's lightning storm. In that moment, dodging and weaving between swipes while hacking and slashing in response, Ruby felt an emotion that she hadn't remembered feeling in a long time.

Content.

 _This_ is what she was meant to do. Here and now, facing off against the black horde, Ruby found her true calling. Her life's work stood before her in the form of the Grimm, and with Vahlen's help, she'd erase that evil from existence. First on Earth, and then on Remnant. She just had to finish this business with the aliens first.

"DONE!" Fonseca shouted triumphantly. Indeed, the delivery tubes groaned as they slid back into a shut position. With the essence supply cut off, it only took a few minutes of fatigued ferocity to put down the last of the Grimm. Ruby stood over a mound of Beowolves, gasping for breath as she took in the carnage all around her. She could barely see the floor anymore, such was the quantity of corpses and tarred gore piled in the room.

"Status?" She asked between breaths of air.

Zhang grunted as stood up, flexing a bloody arm as he tested it for damage, "We're alright. Talos took a beating, but his Juggernaut plating did its job well enough. I suffered a few scrapes myself keeping some of the bastards away from Otter, but it's nothing that a day or two with Vahlen can't fix." He winced as a piece of his Titan armor fell to the floor, "Shen might be a bit upset, though."

"I doubt it." Ruby said with a laugh, "He's probably just happy you're alive. Five, how's Gidjit?"

" _No additional damage suffered!_ " Penny happily reported, " _He is eager to return to base and be of use to the XCOM initiative._ "

"We'll let Vahlen worry about that, but only after we've finished up here. Three? Four?"

"Fine." Blake responded, "Though we may have been a little too zealous towards the end there. Our Aura's pretty depleted at the moment."

Yang nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I don't know how you did it, Rubes, but something you said made me really want to beat the hell out of those Beowolves."

" _I told you your new abilities would deliver the best ass-whooping those aliens have ever seen, Captain._ " Annette chimed in, " _I unlocked your potential for what we call Psi Inspiration here in the Corps, but it seems like you also had a bit of Adrenal Neurosympathy mixed in there as well._ "

"Well, whatever it is, it felt really good." Yang said, "I ain't even mad about the Aura."

"Alright team, let's rest and regroup before we go looking for more trouble." Ruby ordered. However, before she could so much as even reload Crescent Rose, she felt the familiar sensation of something trying to claw its way into her mind. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and Zhang gave her a concerned look.

"It seems like trouble came looking for us. Captain?"

"I… it's here…" She whispered.

 _The New One returns, as we have foreseen. We suggest that it submits peacefully, or the consequences will be… grim._

* * *

After Jaune's team put down the remaining Beowolves, he regrouped with Pyrrha and Ren. Thankfully, they encountered no contacts while Jaune and Nora handled the Grimm, and the team proceeded relatively unhindered through the base. MacAuley's occasional grunts of pain filled the silence as they progressed..

Jaune glanced back at the Engineer, mild concern on his face, "You gonna be alright, Mac?"

MacAuley nodded, "I'll be fine, boss. Shoulder hurts like hell, but I imagine working in the Elerium Mines for our Ethereal Overlords would hurt a lot more."

Beagle snorted in amusement, "No such thing as Elerium Mines, dumbass."

"Yeah, well, there _could_ be if we let the aliens win."

"Command Room's up ahead." Ortega noted, "Strange that we haven't encountered more resistance."

Pyrrha shook her head, "It's not strange if there's a trap set. We've already discovered a few new tricks and strategies the aliens possess with regards to the Grimm. Who's to say they aren't saving the best for last?"

"Then we'll just have to be ready for whatever they throw at us." Jaune said, determination written all over his face, "We're not leaving here until every last alien is dead. Alright, standard formation. MECs in the rear and hunters up front. 3-13, you're hanging back with the 'bots while Beagle and Mac are running midline. Once we get a better picture of the battlefield, we'll change tactics accordingly."

The team wordlessly agreed and moved into position around the door leading to the next room. Jaune, Plasma Dragon locked and loaded, held his hand up and counted down from five. At zero, he slipped through the archway with Pyrrha at his side. Nora followed close behind with Ren while the latter activated his Ghost Armor and faded into nothingness.

"Contacts." Jaune called out before opening up with his gun. Indeed, a horde of Grimm lined the walls of the room, and they charged forward at the first sound of plasma flying. Pyrrha moved forward while firing Miló, each shot expertly aimed at her target before she pulled the trigger. A small object flew into the room from behind, and Jaune shielded his eyes as MacAuley's flashbang went off.

In the two seconds of disorientation caused by MacAuley, Nora fired off a cocktail of grenades from Magnhild. Shrapnel from some of the explosives ripped through the weaker Grimm while a chemical mist coated the rest in corrosive Chryssalid venom. A crack echoed through the room, and Ortega's Gauss Long Rifle tore off half the face of an unlucky Beowolf. Like thunder after a bolt of lightning, three MEC rifles boomed as Gizmo and her squadmates took their first shots at the enemy.

Blue Team moved forward into the room, the Grimm falling to their inexorable advance. Still, for every Beowolf that Jaune's team cut down, another would crawl out of some dark corner or up from beneath the platforms to join the fight. He wondered if this was the kind of situation Ruby's team faced when the Grimm fighting first broke out, an impossible scenario that seemed to have no end. Well, he'd find a way to end it, or his name wasn't Jaune Arc.

"Beags!"

"Yep!" The Captain's rocket launcher roared, and the clumped mass of Grimm trying to claw at Nora and Pyrrha scattered across the room. Jaune leapt up to an elevated platform ahead of the team to better assess the fight, and that's when he saw them. Three Ethereals stood patiently along the back of the room. The moment they saw him, they each unfolded two arms from beneath their crimson robes and purple energy began to pool in their palms.

"Ethereals!" Jaune shouted down at his team, "We've got Ethereals in the back! MECs, cover the ramp so that everyone can move up to my position. We need these guys taken out _now_."

Jaune looked back down at the Ethereals, and his jaw almost dropped. Rather than use their purple charge to launch a psychic lance (as he expected), they seemed to be drawing Grimm essence from the monsters around them. He watched as they psionically stripped nearby Beowolves into ribbons, and the essence flowed like little threads towards the Ethereal masters, weaving themselves into a dark armor for the aliens.

"Everyone, focus on my target." Jaune said, doing his best to keep the panic he felt from creeping into his voice. He hefted his Plasma Dragon, and his teammates followed suit with their own armaments. On his mark, the operatives opened up with a withering fusillade of plasma, gauss, and Dust directed at the central Ethereal. Though the alien put up its psionic barrier, it couldn't deflect every attack Blue Team threw at it. Slowly the Grimm armor began to break, and Jaune wondered if this battle would be over sooner than he originally thought. Of course, that idea crossed his mind before the other two Ethereals began to funnel Grimm essence into their comrade to bolster its armor.

"Well, there goes that plan." Beagle sighed.

From behind, Jaune heard the sound of rending metal before Gizmo called out, " _Grimm are starting to overrun our position, Actual._ "

Jaune knew he needed a plan, and he needed it five seconds ago, "MECs, fall back. Ortega, hitch a ride. The rest of us need to attack the three Ethereals simultaneously. Ren, Nora, you're on the left. Pyrrha, you're with Beagle on the right. MacAuley, with me. Move!"

The operatives sprang into action. Ortega leapt onto Vulcan's back while the MECs leapt over the swarming Grimm and dashed to relative safety. Nora leapt off of the platform with an exhilarated yell while Ren once again dropped into cloak behind her. Pyrrha gracefully jumped to the ground level before dashing off towards her own target while Beagle fired his rifle to distract the Ethereal. Jaune vaulted over the alien console in front of him, and hit the ground with a grunt before the voices started.

 _The New One's allies arrive, with as much violence and force as we have expected. They survive our experiments and pitfalls, and now stand before the puppeteers._

As chaos reigned all around him, Jaune glared at the Ethereal, "I've heard about your dirty mind tricks, alien. You have a lot to answer for after what you did to Ruby."

 _Bravado. A useless trait that we have seen commonly exhibited by our enemies. The outcome is always the same, however: bend to our will, or become erased._

Jaune roared and charged at the Ethereal. A psi lance slammed into his shield, and Jaune almost stumbled as he gasped for breath. He'd survived against plasma bolts and a Sectopod's death beam with his Semblance-enhanced shield, but the psi lance had an effect that the others did not. Perhaps because his soul now extended to his shield, it was still affected by the hit?

Another lance connected, and Jaune choked from the pain. He saw the Auric glow encasing his armaments begin to flicker, and his eyes widened in a mixture of shock and fear. Such power… how could he overcome something that possessed such an immense force of will. In the background, he heard MacAuley call out to Beagle. But wasn't the Captain busy helping Pyrrha? Dust, he hoped the others were alright.

A third lance struck him, this time straight to the chest, and Jaune fell to his knees against a small bulkhead. Again, the alien's voice filled his mind.

 _Disappointing. Given the… fortitude of the Red Slayer, we expected her brood to be just as powerful._

Jaune tried to steel his mind, to resist the Ethereal's incredible power, but he felt like a blade of grass in the face of a hurricane. How did Nora and Ren handle these? How did XCOM? He groaned as he felt the psionic energy ripple throughout his body.

Jaune gasped as he felt something get jammed into his side, and liquid fire seemed to start flowing through his veins. He looked down to see a Combat Stim injector pressed up against his skin, its red-colored contents almost fully drained. He followed the hand holding the device up to its owners face, and saw MacAuley looking back at him.

"It's not over 'till it's over." MacAuley said, echoing Jaune's words from a few days go, "Show that lanky fuck who's boss, Jaune. Spoiler: it's you."

Fiery strength surged through Jaune's limbs, and Jaune gripped his sword and shield as he once again projected his Aura to encase them. His muscles still ached from the Ethereal's opening strikes, yet the red Dust MacAuley pumped into his system helped Jaune find the strength to move in spite of the pain. He stepped out from behind the bulkhead and resumed his charge against the Ethereal. The alien fired another psychic bolt at him, but Jaune's renewed willpower shrugged it off. With an adrenaline-fueled roar, he drove Crocea Mors straight towards the Ethereal's gut. Its psychic barrier tried to resist the blow, but Aura guided Jaune's sword as he felt it cut through the alien's flesh and he drove it up to the hilt against the alien's body.

The Ethereal unleashed a psychic scream, its body consumed in a forceful blast that launched Jaune backwards and slammed him back against the bulkhead. When he shook off the disorientation from his crash, his ears were met with the most beautiful sound he'd heard all day.

The sound of peace and quiet.

* * *

Ruby gritted her teeth as the Ethereal glided into view, its psionic presence causing almost everyone else to buckle under the pressure. Ruby almost did, but she focused on the lessons Ren taught her about balancing her Aura with her psionics and just barely managed to remain standing. She glanced over at Blake and Yang, both of whom were now on the floor wracked with dry heaves. Weiss had fallen to one knee, using Myrtenaster to keep herself balanced while she clutched her head with her free hand.

The Earth operatives looked just as bad. Fonseca passed out completely while Zhang fell against a wall, taking shallow breaths. The MECs tried to remain upright, but collapsed after a matter of seconds. Ruby recalled Vahlen mentioning something about the MEC process negatively impacting an operative's willpower, which could also explained why Weiss seemed to be handling the psychic assault better than Blake or Yang. While Ruby hoped Penny's robotic nature would provide her with natural resistance to the mental attack, she seemed to be struggling to stay afloat.

"P… Penny?" Ruby asked, struggling to form words.

" _It's Gidjit._ " Penny answered, her voice likewise strained, " _I think the Ethereal possesses knowledge on ways to exert control over Cyberdiscs, and it's attempting to do so with Gidjit. It's taking almost all of my attention to keep my bridge with him intact and keep the Ethereal out._ "

Ruby nodded in understanding. If the Ethereal succeeded in rending control of the Cyberdisc away from Penny, her team would be in serious trouble. She wondered if this psychic force was a focused attack, or just some passive ability this Ethereal possessed. She'd never experienced anything like it before, and so she hoped that the sensation would pass if she could just get the damn thing distracted for a fraction of a second. She leveled Crescent Rose with the Ethereal's head and fired a few shots. The alien's psychic barrier deflected the rounds easily, but Ruby's main goal was to draw the creature's attention away from its psychic wave. When she felt no change in her growing headache, she realized she needed to employ more drastic measures.

In an instant, Crescent Rose unpacked into its scythe form, and Ruby rushed the Ethereal. At least, she tried to rush it, but the end result felt closer to a jog. She raised her weapon high into the air and attacked the Ethereal with a wide, upward swing. The Alien simply reached out and caught her blade before it could do any real damage. Through her shock, Ruby noted a psionic barrier protecting the Ethereal's hand from her weapon.

 _Such impertinence. While the New One's willpower is notably improved, it still tries to defy fate._

With a psionic blast, the Ethereal sent Crescent Rose flying across the room. Ruby, still struggling to fight off the psionic pressure, failed to hold onto her scythe and heard it clatter to the floor far behind her.

 _Without your implement of destruction, what are you?_

"I'm still a force to be reckoned with." Ruby growled. She felt anger begin to bubble up within her and rather than suppress it, she fed it and let it grow. She took that raging hatred and channeled it towards the Ethereal standing before her. She felt fire flow from her very soul as she poured all she had into the psychic counterattack. For a moment, she noticed the Ethereal stiffen as it attempted to resist the attack. In that instant, she felt the pressure lessen on her mind, though only by a little. Still, the fruits of her efforts provided ample encouragement for Ruby to keep up the onslaught. She dug deep within herself to open up the vaults of contained hatred that she kept sealed away for so long and used it to strengthen her rage and resolve.

She remembered the numerous faces of soldiers she befriended at XCOM who died to the invaders. She remembered Biggs, Bolts, Vance, and every other name on the memorial wall that represented the lives of those who would never see their world break free from the alien host. She thought of Blake, forever scarred by this war, and the hundreds of millions of common citizens who lived day to day in constant fear of being next in line for an abduction. She felt the blazing cauldron of her soul spill over as she formed all of these memories into a deadly weapon and drilled it straight into the psyche of her Ethereal foe.

Seconds later, however, she felt the scalding-hot rage pushed back into her own mind, and she felt her mental strength begin to buckle from the firestorm of psychic will thrashing within the confines of her skull.

 _Such strength! And yet, how can the New One expect to bend others to the will of her abilities when she falls victim to its power?_

Ruby tried to break off the attack, to let go of the rage and let it dissipate, but she found herself unable to. Something kept her tethered to the mental assault, and she felt it begin to slowly tear her head apart. She cried out from the pain, and try as she might to force the burning attack back out of her skull and send it at her foe, the Ethereal's mental resolve and finesse far outclassed her own. Even as she felt her consciousness begin to slip away, she heard the _click_ of a pistol's hammer locking into place.

"Captain Ruby Rose is like a daughter to me, you alien bastard." She heard Zhang growl, "A bond forged in the fires of combat and tempered with the kinship of survival."

A shot rang out, far deeper than any pistol Ruby tested in Shen's labs or the firing range. The brief respite to her mind offered by Zhang's attack allowed Ruby to glance up and get a look at the Colonel. There he stood, beads of sweat running down his face and both hands gripping a pistol far tighter than what would normally be considered necessary. The strained look on his face told Ruby that the Ethereal's presence still weighed heavily on his mind, and the action of standing and firing a gun proved a monumental task in and of itself. The pistol was unlike anything Ruby had ever seen at XCOM. It looked larger and heavier than any sidearm manufactured in engineering, and intricate designs of inlaid gold ran the length of the barrel.

"You mock my daughter, try to break her spirit…" Zhang winced before hissing, "Then I shall break you first."

His hand cannon barked twice more, and the Ethereal recoiled with each hit. Ruby drew some sense of satisfaction in knowing that her mind war with the alien prevented it from deflecting bullets as it usually did. A pair of thin hands appeared from within the Ethereal's robes, and purple energy pooled within their palms. Just as Zhang cocked his pistol to fire again, the psi lance hit him square in the chest and blasted him off his feet.

"Zhang!" Ruby cried out. Even as she feared for Zhang's life, Ruby felt it: the psychic presence slowly receding. She knew that, despite every fiber of her being wanting to make sure Zhang would be okay, she needed to capitalize on this advantage. Failing to do so would be to spit in Zhang's face and tell him that he risked his life for nothing. The pain from her first failed attack receding, Ruby focused once more on the Ethereal, channeling all her emotions into a mental spear before thrusting it into the alien's mind.

The alien hissed from the pain of Ruby's assault, and she felt it try to muster enough willpower for a counterattack. Ruby's mind lashed out again to stymie the Ethereal's efforts. Zhang's physical wounds against the alien were a godsend, as they weakened the psychic powerhouse to the point where Ruby had a fighting chance at defeating it. She drew up some her Aura and tempered her mind blade with the essence of her soul. The two forces clashed at first, but Ruby wielded her soul's force with the gentle tranquility taught to her by Ren. Soon, she felt the Aura weave itself in with her psionic energy, and Ruby stabbed at the Ethereal's mind once more.

Just as the initial shock of Aura and psionics merging wreaked havoc on Ruby months ago, the Ethereal did not enjoy the feeling of Ruby's Aura entering its essence. The alien screamed, clutching its head with two hands as it began to glow a bright purple. Ruby shielded her eyes as the Ethereal exploded in a final burst of psychic energy before the Captain contacted Annette.

"Central, this is Actual. The Ethereal has been dealt with, and we require immediate evac. Colonel Zhang has been gravely wounded, and will need medical attention upon our arrival at HQ. The rest of the team could probably do with a full evaluation as well."

" _Understood, Actual. We hope to see everyone back at base safely._ " Annette answered.

"Yeah…" Ruby muttered, "Me too."


	36. The Volunteer

A/N: So I'm not sure what happened last weekend, but seemed to be eating all of the reviews for Chapter 35. I got email notifications for the first couple of reviews that got posted, but they didn't show up on the website for days. It seems like the problem sorted itself out, because all the comments that I got notifications for are now showing up. If your review isn't currently on the review page, I didn't get it. =/

* * *

As the world came into focus for Colonel Shaojie 'Chilong' Zhang, he first noted the comfortable silence that greeted his ears. No yelling or screaming, no ratcheting or jackhammering, and certainly no guns firing. No, the word 'comfortable' definitely sprang to mind when Zhang considered his surroundings. And as his other senses slowly kicked in, he realized that many other aspects of his environment could be likewise be considered comfortable. The soft ceiling lights, though bright enough to clearly illuminate the room, didn't hurt the Colonel's eyes despite waking up only moments ago. The room smelled clean, too, with none of the usual acrid scents that tend to accompany a military compound. Zhang's bed felt soft, the mattress firm enough to provide support without leaving him feeling stiff.

The only conclusion that Zhang could come to was that he'd woken up in the medbay. As his senses continued to acclimate to the room, the soft beeping of medical hardware all but confirmed his initial guess. He thought back to his last point of consciousness, and recalled his encounter with the Ethereal inside the alien base. He remembered getting blasted back by some psionic bullshit and feeling like he'd been hit by a truck. His memory failed him after that, though his current state indicated that the mission must have been an overall success.

Zhang rolled his head to the right and spotted Ruby seated next to him, fiddling with something on his bedside table. She must have been truly fascinated with her toy, as the young Captain seemed to be completely oblivious to her friend's awakening. Zhang didn't mind, since he wanted another minute to try and organize his thoughts and further observe his surroundings before mustering the effort to hold a conversation with someone.

He once again returned his gaze to the ceiling and concentrated on his body. He still felt sore from the fight, though the sensation was considerably worse than the usual post-op fatigue. Not only that, but Zhang also noticed a headache pounding against his skull. Whether he got it from getting his bell rung a little too hard, or if the Ethereal mucked around in his brain with the psychic blast, Zhang didn't know for certain. He'd have to ask Vahlen about running some psi tests on him, assuming she hadn't done so already.

"How're you feeling, Colonel?" Ruby asked, interrupting his thoughts. Zhang glanced over at her and saw that her eyes remained glued to whatever she had on the table.

"Surprised you could tell I was awake." He commented.

Ruby stopped with her fiddling and greeted Zhang with a warm smile, "Your breathing shifted about three minutes ago. I figured you'd say hi once you were good and ready to talk, but… I guess I got a little impatient."

"It seems that your senses are as good as Annette claims." The Colonel observed, clearly impressed, "So what are you playing with over there?"

Ruby picked up the item so that Zhang could see it, revealing the ornate pistol he used to shoot the Ethereal, "Your handgun. I gotta admit, it's pretty fancy. Nothing like the hardware XCOM uses." She spun the cylinder and listened to the clicking noise before gently placing it on Zhang's bed, "Where'd you get it?"

Zhang sat up in his bed, wincing as the movement aggravated his headache, before he answered, "From my time with the Triad."

"You know, that may be the first straight answer I've ever gotten out of you." Ruby said with a raised eyebrow, "Maybe I should have Vahlen check your brain one more time."

"Keep talking like that, and it'll be the last straight answer you ever get." Zhang smirked. He picked up the handgun and studied it, "Miss Belladonna has told me one or two stories about her time with the White Fang. While the goals of the White Fang vastly differ from the Triads, the two have their fair share of similarities, especially for the rank-and-file."

Ruby, intrigued by her friend's story, watched as Zhang examined his weapon as he continued his tale, "I was a 'Red Pole' in the Triad, a military commander. I earned the title, of course, but my superiors saw great potential in my tactical skills and put me in a position where my strengths could flourish. This handgun was a gift to me from my mentor, a symbol of my station and a tool to command respect of those under me."

"Does it have a name?" Ruby asked, "I feel like all weapons that have a story should have a name."

Zhang shrugged, "No. It never seemed important. The mere sight of the weapon instilled fear and respect in my men well enough without the need for a silly name."

"Well I want to name it." Ruby insisted.

The Colonel sighed and picked up the handgun so Ruby could have another look at it, "Since I know you won't stop pestering me about it until I finally agree, I'll just spare myself the annoyance and give you permission now."

"I knew you were smart." Ruby grinned, "Now let's see… a good name for this handgun." She grabbed the proffered weapon and turned it over in her hands while she thought, "It has to be badass, of course, but something that also fits… I know!"

"Oh? Done so quickly?"

"Oh hush, you. When ingenuity strikes, it strikes. And I have decided that this weapon will henceforth be known as Aureate Mercy!"

Zhang raised an eyebrow, "I'm surprised you even know what 'aureate' means. And then there's the fact that you've named a handgun 'Mercy.' "

"I was looking up other words for yellow, just in case Bradford wanted to have a third team to go along with Red and Blue. Did you know that Jaune's name is actually a hue of yellow?" Ruby asked, clearly proud of her efforts, "As for the name, you may not think of a weapon as merciful, but it certainly saved me in my time of need."

When Zhang said nothing, Ruby coughed, "Speaking of my time of need… you do remember what you said to the Ethereal when you shot it… right?"

"I called you my daughter." Zhang answered, as if he was giving Ruby the time of day.

"… Yeah, I don't know about you, but that's sorta-kinda a big deal to me. Do you think you could elaborate on that?"

"I'm… not proud of what I did during my time with the Triad." Zhang admitted, "As I'm sure Blake has told you about her years with the White Fang, growing up in a criminal organization is difficult. They become your family, yes, but they ask of you things that no family should ever want to ask." Zhang's amber eyes pierced Ruby's gray ones as he continued, "Stealing that information from the Triads and delivering it to XCOM was the first truly good act I can think of during my life."

"Okay, so you weren't a nice guy back then, but I've only ever known the Colonel Zhang that has been instrumental in beating the crap out of the alien invaders." Ruby said.

"Your 'Colonel Zhang' was a giant dick for the majority of his time at XCOM." Zhang answered, a mirthless smile on his face, "Though it may have been somewhat easy to leave the Triad and fight aliens, changing a man's personality after he's spent years meticulously shaping it… not so much. The one benefit was, of course, my effectiveness as a leader. I made very few friends, but I also experienced little difficulty in commanding Strike Two."

Zhang sighed, and Ruby guessed that their talk was causing him to think back to unpleasant moments and memories in his history. Before she could think of something to say, her friend spoke first, "Do you remember the first time we interacted in a casual setting?"

Ruby scratched her head, trying to recall the answer to his question, "Err… now that you mention it…"

"I'm not surprised. You were rather drunk." Zhang supplied for her, a true smile forming on his lips now, "Since you seem to have no memory of the evening, I will fill in the blanks. It was after the first weapons test with the technology you worked on with Dr. Shen. Major Vance was getting your team shitfaced while you wanted to thank me for helping Blake out of a bad situation."

"I remember that fight!" Ruby said with excitement, "And yeah, we did have a party in the lounge afterward, didn't we?"

Zhang nodded, "You were trying to learn more about me, or something equally silly, and you thought you could get this information by bonding with me over drinks. Naturally, I held my alcohol far better than you, and the results were… amusing."

Ruby rolled her eyes, "Okay, okay, I'm a lightweight. Can we skip over that?"

"There was one thing you said to me, amidst your drunkenness, that I will remember until the day I die." He smirk turned serious, "I'll have to paraphrase here, because you were talking like a drunkard, but the translated version is thus: 'You have heart, Colonel. Some people are at XCOM just for the chance to murder, but not you. You can act silent and tough all you want, talk about how killing an alien is 'not so different from killing a man,' but that was a noble thing you did. Whatever else you say, that right there is the truth.' "

The two fell silent for a while, as Ruby pondered Zhang's story. She may have been young, naive, and whatever else Weiss enjoyed calling her, but Zhang's point was plain as day. For someone who spent his entire life performing unspeakable acts because his criminal family told him to, it meant a lot for the hardened Colonel to hear someone tell him that he was a good person. Not a good soldier or a good commander, but a good human being.

"I know very few people who can lie once they are as drunk as you were that night." Zhang said quietly, "While I'm not sure I see in myself what you see in me, I am honored that you hold me in such high esteem."

Ruby smiled at her friend, "I know I'm not the only one, either. If you don't believe me, ask Jaune. Sure, he has a healthy fear and respect for your training methods, but I'm sure he would take a plasma bolt for you without hesitation, just as he would for any of us. You don't get that kind of loyalty from being scary, Zhang, you get it from being someone who is worth the bolt."

She handed the revolver back to Zhang before standing up, "I'd love to talk more, but I promised I'd meet up with Yang for drinks after I had the chance to make sure you were okay. We've both been so busy gearing up for the alien base assault that we haven't actually had the chance to be sisters in a long time. I'll let Vahlen know you're awake so she can have a look at you and determine when you'll be back on your feet." At the doorway, she paused and glanced back at Zhang, "I think it would be silly to try to ignore your past, Colonel. Instead, use it to remind yourself of the kind of man you want to become."

After he watched Ruby leave the main wing of the medbay, Zhang looked down at his weapon. A revolver used to kill both enemies of the Triad as well as members who failed to live up to the 36 Oaths. Even after learning about his past, Ruby's view of Zhang seemed to remain unshaken. To her, he was a protector, a savior as noble as van Doorn or Bradford. The acts he committed in his old life didn't matter nearly as much as the choices he made now and in the future. Those choices, Zhang decided, would be things that he could look back on with pride when all was said and done. He owed Ruby that much.

"Aureate Mercy, huh?"

* * *

Vahlen paused for a moment at her console, hesitant to push the button that controlled the shutters for the interrogation chamber.

"I can't believe I'm doing this…" She muttered, double-checking her data and interrogation protocols. Eventually, Vahlen steeled herself to the task, and she watched as the shutters parted to reveal a Cyberdisc floating languidly within the confines of the chamber. The Chief Scientist recalled watching video feeds of the robotic monstrosities during field operations, and how they carried themselves with the air of something that knows it is superior to everything around it. This disc adopted a similar posture, and yet Vahlen didn't feel the usual vibe of condescension.

Penny floated over to Vahlen, " _I've finished syncing Gidjit's communications to your terminal. His answers to your questions will show up as text on the screen. Due to potential problems with… parsing, we agreed that it's best if he sticks to short answers. If you need a more detailed explanation of something, I will be happy to serve as an intermediary._ "

"Thank you, Penny." Vahlen said, clearing her throat before preparing to begin with the interrogation. Was interrogation really the right word, though? If Penny was to be believed, this alien harbored no ill will for XCOM. Indeed, it allowed itself to be subjected to any and all protocols Bradford and Vahlen demanded, which included a full system shutdown while multiple science teams swept it for bugs, trackers, or other malicious hardware. Whatever Penny did back at the base assault to convince this thing that XCOM represented the good guys, she did a damn good job of it.

"Alien specimen 09-P84, you wish to be identified by the name 'Gidjit,' correct?"

 _CORRECT._

"And you come with the intention of helping XCOM defend itself against the alien invasion?"

 _CORRECT._

"Why is that?"

 _PENNY._

"Operative Polendina is the sole reason behind your decision to defect and become an asset for the XCOM Project?"

 _CORRECT._

Vahlen turned to Penny, eyebrow raised. Penny 'coughed' to convey her feeling of discomfort under Vahlen's gaze, " _When I rebooted Gidjit, I activated his logic processors first. During that time, we were able to engage in a rapid transfer of information between our two platforms, and I managed to convince him that he was wrong and I was right._ "

"And it was that simple?"

" _I_ may _have engaged in some… rewiring before bringing Gidjit online. He is fully aware of my actions and understands the motivation behind them._ "

 _NECESSARY._ Gidjit chimed in.

"I see…" Vahlen mused. Well, if a simple charge from an Arc Thrower was enough to hack a drone, then perhaps a specialist like Penny could perform a similar operation on a Cyberdisc. Moreover, she found Gidjit in a powered down state, which made her job even easier since it couldn't actively fight back against Penny's intrusions. Truly, the circumstances surrounding Gidjit's 'capture' couldn't have been more fortuitous. Vahlen continued with her questions.

"We took the liberty of removing your offensive capabilities during our sweep of your systems. In light of the recent development that alien weaponry can now detonate Grimm, this can be viewed as your first meaningful contribution to XCOM's cause."

 _CORRECT._

"Do you wish to be re-equipped with armaments and be sent back out into the field with Operative Polendina and her team?"

 _IRRELEVANT_.

"Beg your pardon?"

A brief pause ensued before Penny turned to Vahlen, " _He's saying that the basis of your question was formed around knowing his desire to do something. He believes that such a question has no purpose, as how you choose to utilize him is ultimately up to you._ "

"And I am saying such a question does have purpose." Vahlen countered, "Despite our autopsies of other Cyberdiscs and our previous examination of Gidjit, he knows his own capabilities better than we do. I would like to know whether or not he believes operating in the field is the best use of his skills."

" _I will convey this to him._ " Penny paused before adding, " _Thank you for not calling him 'it,' Doctor._ "

Vahlen allowed herself a smile,"It's evident that this means a great deal to you."

A minute passed by in silence while Vahlen patiently waited for an answer.

 _CORRECT._

"I'll assume that means that assignment in the field is correct." Vahlen noted, "Very well. We would need to develop and implement a killswitch as a means to decommission you if it turns out that you _aren't_ acting with XCOM's best interests in mind."

 _ACCEPTABLE._

"In the meantime do you have any knowledge of alien protocols that we can use to better defend against the invasion? Any data banks with useful information that we can access?"

 _MAYBE._

Vahlen turned to Penny once more, eyebrow raised. In a few seconds, Penny translated, " _Gidjit has no information on the subject of the invasion's command structure, weapon technology, or things like that. However, he_ is _a silicon-based life form, and your first live one at that. If you think you can find a use in learning more about Cyberdisc physiology, he is willing to subject himself to research so long as it doesn't kill him._ "

"Thank you, Gidjit." Vahlen said, "I will consider your offer and let you know what decision I come to. In the meantime, our first priority is taking all the necessary steps towards making you ready for combat."

 _ACCEPTABLE._

"During your stay, we plan to keep you housed in this chamber under 24-hour guard. Operative Polendina has volunteered to supervise the detail, so you will have her to converse with during downtime." She turned to Penny, "And you can use the PA system to summon me if there's a new development that requires my immediate attention. For now, I need to get down to Engineering to help Dr. Shen with something even more important than our new friend here."

" _No problem, Doctor! I will do my best to learn any useful information that Gidjit has to offer._ "

Vahlen gave the SHIV a friendly pat on her chassis, "Very good. Take care, Penny. I'll stop by when I can."

* * *

"Alright, Annette. Are you ready for this?"

"I'm ready, Ruby."

"Are you pumped?"

"Yes."

Ruby frowned as the two continued walking down the hallway, flanked by armed security, "I dunno. You don't sound very pumped. Lemme see if I can rephrase that for you: on a scale of 'one' to 'pumped,' how pumped are you?"

Annette looked down at her friend and winked, "Fuckin' pumped, kiddo."

"That's what I like to hear!" Ruby looked over Annette's suit once more, the latest brainchild of Vahlen and Shen. Extremely form-fitting, yet still able to withstand some punishment from alien weapons fire. Furthermore, evenly-spaced bright purple channels grew out from the armor's spine and formed small leylines of energy all across the Major's figure.

"Lookin' pretty snazzy, Annette. I gotta say, I'm kinda jealous."

The Major shrugged, "Yeah, well… maybe if you keep practicing your psionics like a good little psi op, you'll get to wear one someday." Annette's eyes flashed purple, and she smiled, "Our resident nerds did a pretty great job of making this thing work, though.-"

" _Your 'resident nerds' can hear you, Major._ " Vahlen sighed over the PA.

Annette ignored her, "You always feel some mental resistance when trying to use psionics, but it's almost like someone greased up my brain when the Vortex systems powered on. The Annette Durand Pain Train has no brakes, and I'm loving it."

"Well, we don't know how dangerous it is to access the Ethereal mindnet." Ruby pointed out, "So I'll take any kind of psionic advantage we can get."

"Me too, Rubes."

The group came to a stop in front of a set of thick steel doors. Annette turned to Ruby and smiled, "Well, this is as far as you go. Thanks for taking the walk with me. Good company is always welcome before potentially life-and-death events, right?"

"Right. Give me a few seconds to run up to the observation deck before you start the fireworks, alright? Good luck!" Ruby gave Annette a thumbs up before vanishing down the corridor amid a flurry of rose petals. Annette shook her head in amusement.

"You boys mind opening the door for me?" She asked, looking from one guard to the other. Her security detail nodded before stepping towards the door. They both pulled out a security key and turned their respective locks simultaneously. The door shuddered and slowly opened to reveal a cavernous expanse of a room, and the Ethereal device sat alone at the far end.

"Good luck, Major." One of the guards said as they snapped a salute.

Annette smiled and returned the gesture, "Thank you."

With a slight sense of trepidation, XCOM's top psionic operative stepped across the threshold into the room and felt the door behind her rumble as it slid shut. For a few seconds, Annette did little more than stare at her objective. For better or for worse, this would very likely be the defining moment of her life. Now that she found herself face-to-face with the device, the gravity of the situation began to weigh down upon her.

Just as she started to worry that her legs forgot how to move, the bubbly voice of Ruby Rose whispered through her commlink, "You got this!"

Those words, spoken with such confidence, let Annette put one foot in front of the other, and the Major began her resolute march towards the glowing purple orb. The chamber echoed with every step she took, and Annette felt the hairs prickle on the back of her neck. With a final step, she found herself standing directly in front of the Ethereal device.

"Alright," She began, fighting to keep her voice from trembling, "I'm engaging the device now."

She held her hands out on each side of the orb, focusing her psionic energy and coalescing it between her palms. Truthfully, Annette had no idea what she was doing, but she figured that something useful would happen if she poured enough of her mental capacity into the orb. The Vortex Armor worked wonderfully to amplify her psionic potential, however, so Annette at least had that going for her.

"Nice and easy, Annette." She muttered to herself. She teased a little bit of energy out from her vast reserves and felt the device react to her initial prodding. Ripples began to form along the once-smooth surface of the orb, and Annette felt a subtle tingling in her mind. As she pushed a little more psionic energy into the orb, she felt it… slip, for the lack of a better word. It wasn't a physical sensation, as Annette didn't actually have a grip on the sphere, but she struggled for a brief moment to properly direct her energy into the orb. Once she readjusted her focus, the problem vanished, but Annette suspected that it would get harder to maintain a mental lock on the device as she continued to direct her psionic energy.

Her hands started to tremble as more and more psychic power flowed from her fingers into the orb. Iridescent 'spikes' formed within the sphere's core and rapidly fluctuated as the Major fed more energy into the device. Though they remained contained within the sphere, Annette could almost feel them jabbing at her mind when they first appeared. She took a moment to erect some proper mental barriers before she continued to infuse more of her energy into the device. As her efforts grew in strength, so too did the resistance she felt from the device.

Eventually, the spikes began to grow on the surface of the orb. Annette winced as her hand got stabbed by several of the sharp protrusions before she willed the random modulations into a more controllable state. The pain actually allowed Annette to focus. Rather than letting her mind get clouded by the mental strain and faint whisperings coming from the back of her skull, the Major managed to remain grounded in the physical world and keep her attention on the orb before her. Beads of sweat began to flow in small rivers down her face as Annette struggled to unlock the secrets of the Ethereal device, yet she remained focused and determined to succeed.

Annette didn't know what she did differently that triggered the event, but a flash of white momentarily blinded her eyes before she saw.. Things. As if she downloaded an entire library of memories into her brain, visions of aliens, humans, and locations flashed in rapid succession before her eyes. The speed at which the visions shifted from one to the next forced Annette to take one staggering step back from the device. There were _so many_ images, and yet Annette managed to focus on every single one. After what felt like a lifetime of rapidly-flashing visuals, she finally heard it speak.

 _At long last, YOU have succeeded where WE have failed._

Although she'd never heard a voice like that speak in her head, Annette knew it was the voice of an Ethereal. It spoke with such confidence, such force… Annette briefly wondered how XCOM could possibly hope to ever overcome such an adversary.

 _For years we have searched, trying to find the key to our ascension. Many times we have tried… and many times we have finished empty-handed._

Annette took a few more steps back from the Ethereal device, which had returned to its original state.

 _The human race, however, shows great promise. From the moment you took up arms against us with your laughably inadequate weapons, we could see that your indomitable spirit far outweighed your technological handicap._

 _The prospect of directly uplifting you, while tempting, was ultimately deemed a poor plan of action. Well aware of our failures with the Chryssalid, this opportunity with your race was far too important to risk. The only other alternative that was both expedient and worthwhile: forcing you to fight and adapt._

Annette froze. What this Ethereal was saying… it couldn't be the truth, could it? That everything XCOM did, every scientific advance and technological breakthrough, was according to the designs of the aliens? But so many of her friends died, and her organization suffered so many setbacks at the hands of the invaders. Why would they do these things if they were actually trying to bring about humanity's 'ascension?'

 _We watched as you evolved, learning to use superior weaponry and adapting our gift of Meld to your own purposes, to create warriors of steel and alien flesh. As your advances became too great for our initial force, we deployed more dangerous foes to ensure your continued growth. When your accomplishments reached a critical point, we took the first serious risk in our search for the answer on this planet. We introduced humanity to The Gift._

 _It is good that you are the one to contact us, for you were the first we imbued with our power. That your… Bradford found you before The Others did proved to be fortuitous, as They were… a failed mistake, one that your new brood quickly rectified, much to our satisfaction._

No… no, this couldn't be happening. Annette didn't want to believe it. These aliens _had_ to be bluffing. XCOM caught them with their pants down, and they were scrambling to misdirect her and maintain some sort of an advantage in a shitty situation. There was no other explanation.

"You're wrong." She whispered, more to herself than anything, "You're a fucking liar."

 _Tell yourself whatever you wish, but the truth will reveal itself in due time. The truth of our failings, and now… of our triumphs. Our plan is on the cusp of success, and you will be the first to see it brought to fruition._

 _We encountered… difficulties when the Red One and its brood made themselves known. They clearly possessed skills unknown to the rank-and-file, which disrupted our meticulously-crafted plan of escalation. Fortunately, we realized that the Red One still had its uses, and we adapted accordingly. The Grimm, while not an ideal solution, served our purposes well enough._

Annette's rage at the Ethereal's hubris blinded her to the fact that it heard her accusations. All she could think of now was how badly she wanted to tear the damn alien limb from limb, "I will kill you." She vowed, "Slowly and painfully, but it will happen. I will take this 'Gift' that you so _generously_ sought to bestow upon me and use it to make you wish you were never born."

 _A boastful sentiment that, while ultimately empty, shows how driven the human race can be. After years of forging a specimen in the crucible of War, the fruits of our labor stands before us. Soon, it will be time for us to reap the benefits of our efforts. Soon, it will be time for your… arrival._

A massive shudder rocked the room, almost causing Annette to stumble. When she started to hear the quiet sound of klaxxons from beyond the Gollop Chamber, Annette knew that something was wrong.

* * *

"Sir… I'm picking something up."

From his console in Mission Control, Bradford observed Annette's interaction with the Ethereal device. Vahlen had invited him to observe from the Gollop Chamber's observation deck, but Bradford politely declined. Not only did he feel uncomfortable putting himself, Vahlen, and Shen all in one place during a highly experimental and (quite likely) dangerous interaction, but Bradford wanted to stay in Mission Control in case an alert popped up on the hologlobe. And though he really didn't want to be proven right, an uneasy feeling began to grow in the pit of his stomach.

"Another cloaked ship?" Bradford asked as he made his way over to the technician's terminal. He didn't like the hint of tentative fear in the man's voice, but Bradford wasn't about to start panicking just yet.

"No, sir… It's big."

The pair looked up at the hologlobe, and Bradford raised his eyebrow when a chunk of the map the size of Brazil began to experience static. He was about to call for an engineer to double-check the projection system for any errors when a large ship appeared off the coast of Africa. Bradford almost choked at the sheer size of the thing, which was easily the most massive contact XCOM had encountered to date. As the two continued to watch, evidence of sizemic activity spread across the hologlobe, creating disaster sites at just about every coast and major city they hit. As the wave passed over the United States, the room shook violently, raining dust from the ceiling and knocking down several members of Mission Control's skeleton crew.

"Tell me that was a coincidence." Bradford said, though he knew the truth before the words even left his lips.

The tech sighed, "Wish I could, sir. That seismic event originated directly beneath our new contact."

"Nothing we have would even make a dent in that thing…" Bradford muttered, still slackjawed from the new development. Well, he spent the last month rushing base preparation and training in the event that using the Gollop Chamber triggered some sort of cataclysmic response from the invaders. Bradford just hated that his gut instinct was correct.

"Sir… I'm picking up more activity from the contact, and- … oh dear mother of God."

Bradford looked up to see a multitude of UFO contacts spreading out from the massive ship and flying in every direction. The Central Officer's throat went dry when he realized that the ships had been _launched_ from the mystery contact.

"What… what class of contacts are those?" He asked, though he really didn't want to know the answer.

"B-Battleships… sir. That thing just launched sixteen Battleships."

Bradford jammed his finger down on the button to activate the PA system.

"This is Central Officer Bradford. I need _all_ Strike Teams locked and loaded, and I need them now. We have a Code Black. The aliens have finally decided that this invasion is no longer worth the effort, and are now adopting a scorched earth tactic. One final opportunity exists to bring these bastards down for good, but it has to happen ASAP."

"Sir." The tech said, his voice sounding smaller by the second, "The contact has also just launched three Assault Carriers. Initial trajectory data suggests they're headed for the base."

Bradford nodded before continuing his message, "As if that wasn't bad enough, the invasion force plans to eradicate XCOM so that we have no chance of living to fight another day. This means that any and all personnel that won't be partaking in the Hail Mary op will be ready to receive the boarding party our guests have so kindly decided to send our way. This is it, people. It's do or die, and I'm not going down without a fight."

"I believe that's my line, sir." Bradford whipped around to see van Doorn standing in front of him, geared up in his combat attire and fully stocked with his usual array of equipment and Plasma Rifle casually slung over one shoulder. Behind him stood all of the Remnant hunters, with the notable exception of Ruby, likewise ready for battle.

"Captain Rose wanted to provide moral support for Annette during the activation of the Gollop Chamber, but I asked the rest of our friends to be on standby if a development arose that required immediate squad deployment." He glanced up at the hologlobe and raised an eyebrow, "Seems like I made the right call."

For the first time since new contact appeared, Bradford managed to crack a smile, "I knew I made you the Field Commander for a reason, Doorn. Report to the armory and oversee preparations for the rest of the Strike Teams. We'll figure out who's going on the field trip once everyone is ready. The sooner we get that done, the better."

With a salute, van Doorn did an about face and lead the members of RWBY and JNPR out of Mission Control. Once they departed, Bradford activated his personal commlink and secured a private connection between himself, Vahlen, and Shen.

"It's Brad. _Please_ tell me that the Odin Project is finished."

" _It is._ " Shen said, " _I was going to tell you the good news after Major Durand's activation of the Gollop Chamber, but… well, the point is that it's ready for use on the mission._ "

Bradford breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank God. Vahlen? What about Gidjit?"

" _Immensely useful, and ready for combat. I've even managed to squeeze in a few last-minute modifications that allow him to interface with the Odin and assist Penny with its operation._ " Vahlen reported.

"Then we just might have a chance at pulling this off." The Central Officer muttered, "Prep the second Skyranger in Delta Sector and get our little present loaded up. It's time to give these invaders their walking papers."

* * *

A/N: Once upon a time, there was a Long War player named Beagle. During one of his streamed campaigns, he suffered a _bad_ late-game base defense that killed most of his A-team and crippled his base infrastructure. In a fit of rage, Beagle decided that a good "fuck you" to the aliens would be to go ahead and hit the button to activate the Gollop Chamber. Though it felt incredibly satisfying at the time, he later realized that his action spawned a new set of problems. Several key pieces of equipment were still in the process of being built/repaired, but activating the Gollop Chamber locks the player out of the "Scan for Alien Activity" action to pass the time.

However, Based Beagle made a discovery.

He realized that there was literally no repercussions for sending the Skyranger to the Temple Ship and then "aborting" the mission and bringing the squad back. The campaign didn't fail, the squad didn't gain fatigue... but time passed. So in order to get three game days to pass so that he could acquire his precious equipment, Beagle loaded up Big Sky with a single operative and sent him on a hellish cycle of flying to the Temple Ship and then back to HQ until he had everything he needed for the real assault on the Uber Ethereal.

And that's the story of why JohnnyLump modified the Long War mod to spawn Battleships with Infiltrate missions over every nation once the Gollop Chamber has been activated.


	37. Operation Avenger

A/N: If you've ever wondered what the Ethereal was saying to you every time a new wave of enemies attacked you on the Temple Ship... congratulations, I couldn't understand him either. The wiki has a convenient transcription of every line the Ethereal says for each new foe (and it's quite interesting), but a few of them are included in this chapter for your enjoyment.

* * *

The Elerium-enhanced turbojets of the Skyranger roared to life, and Ruby felt the familiar sensation of XCOM's golden chariot delivering her team skyward. Except it wasn't her team this time, but van Doorn's. Bradford asked the Field Commander to take the reigns for what was literally the single-most important operation in XCOM's history, and Ruby had absolutely no objection to the squad leader assignment. With the fate of XCOM riding on the success of this mission, Ruby felt far more comfortable with the prospect of following orders instead of giving them.

The ride started off in relative silence. Van Doorn and Annette, designated Actual and Two, sat across from each other by the Skyranger's gangplank and were engaged in a hushed conversation. Ruby's friends from RWBY and JNPR, with designations Three through Ten, filled out most of the jump seats in the cargo hold. Each of them sat next to their respective partners, and while some (like Jaune and Pyrrha) contented themselves with small forms of physical contact, others (like Ruby and Weiss) engaged in no activities beyond sitting next to each other. Ruby didn't mind, though, since she knew how much Weiss valued her 'professional' self-image. Besides, the mission _was_ important, and Ruby wanted her best friend to stay on top of her game. And if getting Weiss 'in the zone' required a silent and absolute focus, then so be it.

Captain Beagle, designated Eleven, sat in the back next to Jaune. It seemed like the two were slowly becoming attached at the hip ever since Jaune and Pyrrha first joined Beagle's crew on that fateful Harvester operation, and Ruby enjoyed the idea of Jaune making new friends. Sitting across from Beagle was Strike One's twelfth and final member, Gizmo. The MEC pilot sat in absolute silence, her eyes closed and her face impassive. Ruby vaguely remembered Blake taking Gizmo down to the Fission Generators to instruct her in the art of meditation, and it looked like the Pathfinder had taken the lessons to heart.

There was one face missing, and it saddened Ruby when she remembered Bradford explaining to her that Penny would not be joining Strike One aboard the Skyranger. He mentioned something about another project, and how he needed Penny for that instead of letting her join the party. Whatever the case, Ruby trusted that Bradford had a good reason for making his call, so she just made a mental note to see Penny after the successful conclusion of the operation.

The sound of a voice on the comm pulled Ruby out of her thoughts, and she smiled as she recognized it.

" _Big Sky, this is Colonel Lucerno. Central has assigned me to personally escort your craft to the Temple Ship. He suspects that the alien bastards actually_ want _Major Durand to reach her destination, but we agreed that it would be ill-advised to take any chances._ "

" _Well, we're happy to have you, Eightball. Ride should be short, but I'll never say no to good company._ "

" _Excellent. Central estimates an hour to the drop site, so this should be a piece of cake._ "

Ruby felt a small sense of comfort knowing that Strike One now had Eightball watching over them. After the Overseer dogfight, Ruby always made a point of watching Colonel Lucerno's air battles against UFO contacts. Knowing that he was the one that Bradford sent to escort the Skyranger… Ruby knew they'd arrive at their destination in one piece.

As the flight continued, Ruby thought back on her time here at XCOM. She'd come a long way from the naive, idealistic girl that first fell through that portal into Bradford's backyard. Now, she commanded a vast amount of experience in squad tactics and combat acumen, knew the strengths and weaknesses of her fellow huntresses on a much deeper level, acquired a wide array of impressive technology designed to make it even easier to kill aliens and Grimm alike, and (perhaps most importantly) developed friendly and professional relationships that she would carry with her for years to come.

She glanced at Annette, who flashed her a grin before turning back to van Doorn. Part of Ruby secretly hoped that Annette would fall in love with Remnant and Ruby could convince her to stay indefinitely. She had close friendships with the rest of XCOM's personnel, of course, but she shared a deeper connection with the French Major thanks to their psionic… adventures. Annette's training helped Ruby strengthen her resolve, giving the young leader an immense boost to her self-confidence and an array of abilities that would surely impress even her Uncle Qrow.

The Captain's thoughts turned to Zhang. Ruby felt a little bummed that the Colonel couldn't join Strike One for the final op, but he still needed to recover from his run-in with the Ethereal. Regardless, he was another friend that Ruby wouldn't mind seeing regularly after the war's conclusion. While she was shocked when Zhang initially revealed how he felt about her, Ruby eventually came to realize just how much she appreciated the sentiment. Sure, she already had a father back on Remnant, but it felt nice to have a figure like Zhang looking out for her while she was stuck on Earth. And besides, it sounded like Zhang intended to use his impressive assortment of talents and contacts to be a force of good in the world once the alien threat was officially dealt with. Ruby smiled at the idea that she had a hand in making that possible.

Bradford, Shen, and Vahlen… perhaps the three most important members of XCOM's team. Bradford's unwavering confidence served as the thread that tied everyone together while Vahlen and Shen worked as the greatest dynamic duo Ruby had ever seen. Shen's caution and realistic outlook served to temper Vahlen's fiery and oftentimes impulsive nature. If Ruby learned anything over the past six (... or seven?) months, it was that a healthy combination of both caution and audacity allowed XCOM's research and engineering department to perform miracles on a daily basis. She hoped that Shen would be able to spend some time with Ruby and her friends on Remnant, though Ruby knew that he had a small daughter to take care of. Well, maybe she could convince Lily that a vacation to another world would be a great idea, and then Shen would have no choice but to come.

" _Holy shit, that's a fuckload of Battleships._ "

Ruby's head snapped up at the sound of the pilot's voice. She noticed that the rest of Strike One was likewise at attention, wondering what the news meant for the Skyranger.

Van Doorn decided to ask the question on everyone's mind, "Are any of them on a collision course with our trajectory, Papa Bear?"

" _Negative. They're too busy bombing the hell out of civilian targets. God fucking dammit…_ " He muttered, " _You fellas better find the leader of all this bullshit and wring his fucking neck. 'Cause this is taking 'scorched earth' to a whole new level._ "

As silence resumed in the hold, Ruby strained her ears and tuned out the low hum of the Skyranger's engines. Sure enough, she heard the faint clap of heavy artillery booming as the aliens sought to crush humanity into subservience. Her heart sank as she thought about all the thousands, possibly millions, of lives being snuffed out simply for the sake of satisfying some twisted purpose of the aliens.

 _You can hear them too, can't you?_

Ruby looked up and saw Annette casting a sideways glance at her. The Major must have opened a mental link without Ruby noticing.

 _Is my expression that obvious?_

A strange sensation that Ruby finally identified as 'mirth' came across the link before Annette answered, _Just a little. But in all honesty, the sounds make me sick. How can they justify this?_

 _The ends justify the means, or so they probably believe. That, and they probably don't care about a race that isn't their own._

 _Fair point. Let's just make sure we stop this invasion here and now._

 _We will, Annette. I know we will._

* * *

" _Strike Two is locked and loaded._ "

" _Strike Three, ready to kick some ass._ "

" _Strike Four, standing by._ "

Zhang sighed as he heard the various Strike Teams sound off on the base comms. He managed to convince the security personnel assigned to the medbay to fetch him a commlink. Even if he couldn't join the fight, he didn't want to remain in the dark when the action started. Still, it hurt to simply listen and remain helpless to do anything, especially since he was the only patient in the maddeningly empty infirmary..

" _Strike Seven, all operatives ready to go._ "

" _Strike Nine, awaiting orders._ "

" _Alright, listen up Strike Teams,_ " Bradford's voice called out over the radio, " _We have three main approaches into the base. I want Two, Three, and Four to be on point and keep those locked down. Five, Six, and Seven will remain in reserve, ready to support the point teams with a defensible fallback position or to deploy to any vulnerable locations that our guests have managed to exploit. Nine, you're the last line of defense for key facilities. Your top priority is the research labs, but be ready to move if the aliens manage to strike elsewhere._ "

A sound plan, Zhang thought. He was certain that the front teams wouldn't be able to hold out against the entirety of an Assault Carrier's crew, however. If the reserve teams had any sense, and Zhang trusted that they did, they would use their time to create truly impressive fortresses behind the front teams, allowing the operatives of Two through Four to fall back when their positions became compromised. Everyone had a role to play in the fight. Base Security would try to assist the field operatives with supporting fire while Engineering personnel assembled sturdy barriers and operate SHIVs. Even Vahlen's researchers had the ability to use their superior knowledge of human biology and triage to act as supporting medics for the base defenders.

Everyone had a role… except for Zhang.

"A terrible fate for a warrior." He muttered.

One of the soldiers guarding the medbay glanced over at Zhang, "Something wrong, Colonel?"

"No." Zhang answered with a sigh, "Nothing that you can fix, anyway."

* * *

 _You hear our voice, New One, now listen well…_

Annette stiffened as the Ethereal's voice once again found its way into her head. They must have been watching the Skyranger, because the voice began to speak almost as soon as Strike One stepped off of the Skyranger.

 _Long have we watched… and waited. So many promising subjects, so many failed efforts. And now, after untold trials, the New One emerges to face the rigors of our collective… An enduring physical form, paired with an equally adept mental capacity — the rarest of traits, finally within our grasp._

"I feel sorry for you, Ruby." Annette groaned, "I've only had these Ethereal assholes in my head for a minute, and I already hate them."

The Captain smiled at Annette, "You learn to tune it out."

 _And you have brought the foreigner, the Ace in the Hole, to serve as a contingency plan. We appreciate the forethought, though we hope such measures will not be necessary._

"Oh good, now they're talking about you."

Ruby raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Well isn't that interesting."

Annette checked her shotgun and shrugged, "Eh, just something about they think you're a contingency plan. I'm not sure what they mean by that. Unless it means you're secretly their puppet, and you're going to turn on us at the last minute?"

"Nope." Ruby said, shaking her head, "Hate to disappoint you, but that's not gonna happen."

" _Strike One, this is Central. Have you established a perimeter around your insertion point?_ "

"Yes, sir. No signs of contacts yet." Van Doorn answered.

" _Good. We're dropping off a package for you that should be arriving very shortly. Something tells me you're going to like this one._ "

The members of Strike One looked at one another curiously, wondering if anyone knew what Bradford was talking about. After seeing everyone either shrug or shake their head, Ruby keyed her mic, "Err, what kind of package are we talking about here, sir?"

" _A big one. Should be arriving right about… now._ "

Jetboot thrusters fired overhead, and twelve heads snapped up to look at the source of the sound. Ruby caught sight of the second Skyranger flying off at maximum speed towards the direction of HQ before her attention was completely occupied by the hulking machine dropping from above at an alarming rate. Everyone backed away from the center of the landing platform, and the ground shuddered when a giant robot slammed into the metal floor with a resounding _clang_. Silence reigned as the operatives found themselves too stunned to speak. Support struts shuddered, servos whined, and the robot stood to its full height.

Ruby thought she was somehow back on Remnant, staring down Torchwick's Paladin mech in all its heavy artillery glory. However, tell-tale signs of XCOM aesthetics and design choices immediately told Ruby that this was definitely something Dr. Shen cooked up. Twin Rail Guns replaced the usual arms XCOM MECs possessed, while a shoulder-mounted rocket pod, grenade launchers, a Restorative Mist Dispenser, and a smooth, circular plate were fastened to the robot's back. Ruby noted heavy plating adorned almost all external surfaces of the machine, allowing it to withstand heavy punishment while (ideally) remaining relatively unscathed.

Just as Ruby was about to hail Bradford once more and ask what exactly her team was looking at, the new arrival turned to Ruby and waved one of its weapon arms.

" _Hello, Ruby! Did you miss me?_ "

"P-Penny?!" Ruby practically shouted.

" _Yes! Dr. Shen built me an upgraded combat platform. Mr. Bradford asked me to keep it a secret, though, so I couldn't tell you about the new suit._ " She flexed her arms and rocked on her feet a bit, " _I get the feeling he enjoys using me to surprise you guys about things._ "

"Noted…" Ruby mumbled. She glanced at her sister, who looked completely slack-jawed at the sight of Penny's new hardware.

"Does… does it have the capacity to support a MEC pilot?"

"Yang…" Blake sighed.

" _Absolutely! Bradford sent me as the pilot for this mission, but the Odin is also capable of interfacing with a MEC Trooper._ "

"Blake."

"No, Yang."

"But I wanna pilot it, Blake."

"You'd have to de-suit, install yourself, and let the hardware run basic telemetry diagnostics. That would waste a lot of time that we don't have, Yang."

"But I wanna!" Yang whined, "It's called the _Odin_ , Blake! Do you have any idea how badass I'd sound if I could brag to our friends that I piloted the Odin?"

"You mean the friends that are all standing right here with you?"

"Hello!" Pyrrha said with a wave.

"Or the friends back at the base who are very likely in on the secret?"

" _Oh, no. This was one of Bradford's 'dark' projects from Delta Section. He had the engineering crews start work on it around the same time as the second Skyranger._ "

"My point stands." Blake said firmly, "You can play with the new MEC some other time."

Yang groaned, "Fiiiiiine. Let's just get this over with, then."

" _Don't worry, Yang! I still have a co-pilot even without you._ " Penny gestured towards the circular shell embedded into the MEC's back, " _Dr. Vahlen was nice enough to develop a way to interface Gidjit with the Odin!_ "

"Y'know, I feel like I should be surprised." Beagle commented, "But shit just… doesn't surprise me anymore. Because why wouldn't Vahlen integrate a fucking Cyberdisc into a goddamn Gundamn?"

"Ignore him." Ruby said, "We're happy to have you, Penny."

"Chuffed as nuts, really." Beagle added, rolling his eyes.

The air hung heavy with silence as the team cautiously stepped through the towering archway into the depths of the Temple Ship. With their newest squad member in tow, Strike One prepared for the inevitable battle that lay ahead. Hands firmly gripped steel as eyes tried to pierce the darkness, on alert for the possibility of a trap waiting to be sprung by their hosts.

 _The New One faces the earliest effort of the Ethereal Ones, the first… failure. Though possessed of a certain… brilliance… they are marred by their cowardice and frailty… which made them cruel… and ultimately useless._

"Contacts." Annette muttered.

Beagle raised an eyebrow, "I don't hear shit. What makes you so sure?"

"Call it a hunch." Annette answered, moments before the first bolt of plasma flew overhead.

"Hunters, form up. Gunners, keep the contacts locked down while the shadow team moves to flank." Van Doorn ordered.

Blake and Ren vanished from sight while the other six pulled out guns and began firing into the room. Ruby heard a low hum of Penny's rail guns warming up while pink explosions rocked the far end of the room, courtesy of Nora. A combination of plasma and Dust filled the air as the rest of Strike One took cover and searched for the original source of alien gunfire.

"Contacts located." Blake reported over the comm, "Squad of Sectoids holed up down the hall. Looks like their opening shot was just to test the waters, since they don't seem to be in a hurry to step back out into the line of fire."

Van Doorn growled, "Their little plan worked, but they'll regret it. Shadow team, tear into the little bastards. BFG and Hammertime, move in to assist while everyone else prepares for Grimm or any other contacts the Ethereals throw at us."

* * *

" _This is Strike Four, reporting first contact in Engineering._ "

Zhang felt the hairs on his neck prickle as the faint crack of distant gunfire reached the medbay. Before, the waiting felt somewhat tolerable because everyone else was doing the same thing. Now that the fighting had begun, the feeling of helplessness multiplied tenfold.

"Remind me again why one of XCOM's top field operatives is sitting uselessly in the medbay when he could be out repelling one of the most dangerous alien incursions to date?" He asked to nobody in particular.

One of the two infirmary guards stationed to protect Zhang seemed to think the Colonel expected an answer, "Because Dr. Vahlen ordered it, sir. Personally, I agree with you, but I also remember the last time somebody ignored one of Vahlen's bed rest mandates." His eyes glazed over slightly, "I don't think I'll ever be able to erase the smell of vomit and blood from my memory."

Zhang rolled his eyes, "You're exaggerating."

"Wish I was, sir."

"Where is Vahlen, anyway?" Zhang asked, "I doubt that Bradford would risk his chief of research by ordering her to pick up a gun and join the fight."

" _Strike Two, got some mechanical fliers in Delta Section._ "

The guard shrugged, "Not sure. I think Bradford's keeping the whereabouts of Vahlen and Shen a secret to everyone but their personal squad details avoid a potential mind control leak."

"Or you just don't know." Zhang said with an amused smirk.

"Or I don't know." The guard admitted, "Look, I really… _really_ look up to you, sir. It's killing me to enforce Vahlen's orders to keep you on bed rest when we both know that's the last place you want to be, but I also don't want to be known as 'the guy that gets Chilong killed because he bent the rules.' So as much as I would love to follow you into combat, sir, I can't."

" _Looks like the aliens decided to send their zombie-spawning shock troops through the hangar entrance, and there's a shitload of them. Strike Three could use some backup over here._ "

" _Three, this is Seven. We have a defensible position set up about fifty yards behind your position. Fall back, and we can support you._ "

Zhang growled, his impatience starting to get the better of him. The guard exchanged nervous glances with his partner. The two of them knew better than to defy Vahlen's orders, but they also knew that Zhang's temper sometimes turned… volatile. The two exchanged nods before the first turned back to Zhang, "Look, I can't let you suit up, but maybe it'd be okay if I help you get out of that bed. Would you feel better if you could at least walk around in here?"

"It's a start, at least." Zhang sat up and winced as pain immediately shot through his body.

"Uh… yeah, you might not want to move just yet. Vahlen's got you hooked up to, like, _a billion_ different sensors and IV drips. You kinda look like a marionette. I'll help you get unhooked."

"You sure that's a good idea?"

The guard shrugged, "From what I've managed to overhear when the aides talk, they're pretty much cautionary measures. None of them are giving any sort of life-preserving drug, so I think you'll be alright. Just… take it easy."

"Yeah, yeah. Just help me up."

* * *

 _The new one faces a great foe, and an equally great… disappointment. When their organic form failed to evolve… it was given the strength of a machine, creating this… merciless, fearless, killer… A fate worse than death._

Annette's knuckles turned white as she gripped her shotgun while her eyes darted around wildly in search of contacts, "Uhh, I think we've got Floaters inbound, Actual."

"Well, you were right about the Cyberdiscs and Drones, Two, so I'd say you're getting pretty good at this premonition business." Van Doorn said as he put down the last Drone still engaging the team. The Sectoids went down easily enough after initial contact, but the Field Commander suspected their true purpose was to morph into Grimm upon death. While the hunters busied themselves with their natural foes, several Cyberdiscs showed up with their usual Drone entourage to make things difficult.

When the mechanicals showed up, Penny and Gidjit proved to be a godsend. With two rail guns and a fully-functioning Cyberdisc fighting for the good guys, the alien newcomers seemed a lot less of a problem. The enemy 'discs still posed a very real threat with their Assault Cannons, especially now that they possessed the 'explosively detonate Grimm' functionality, which forced the hunters to tread cautiously as they waded into combat. Jaune and Ruby stayed behind with the Earth operatives, Ruby providing long-range fire support and Jaune using his tower shield to provide superior cover for the biologicals while the rest of their teams pressed forward to engage the Grimm.

Now, the sound of high-energy thrusters echoed throughout the room as a squadron of Floaters (both Heavy and otherwise) blasted into view. In a matter of seconds, plasma fire rained down on the operatives from on high as the Floaters began shooting at anything with a pulse. The hunters were agile enough to dance around the shots, but van Doorn, Annette, and Beagle remained hunkered down behind cover to avoid getting seriously injured.

"Elsa," The Field Commander said, "Our new friends seem to be running a little too hot for my tastes. Why don't you work with Hammertime to cool them down a bit?"

Weiss and Nora nodded, falling back from the Beowolf fight still in progress on the ground and taking cover behind a large, alien pillar. Magnhild shifted into a grenade launcher while Myrtenaster's revolver locked the vial of ice Dust into the active chamber. Nora gave Weiss a thumbs up before the duo stepped out from behind the pillar's protection. Small weapons fire erupted from the balcony where van Doorn's team tried to keep the attention of the aliens away from the two exposed huntresses. With a dancer's grace, Weiss twirled her rapier in a precise pattern before finishing the performance with a standing thrust towards the Floaters. A large, rotating glyph winked into existence between Nora and her targets. The fiery huntress raised her grenade launcher and unleashed a salvo of explosives at the flying horde.

The heart-stamped grenades passed through Weiss's glyph and sailed onward towards their targets, now with blue contrails instead of pink. Seconds later, they detonated in a crystalline cloud of frost, enveloping the Floaters with sub-zero temperatures. Several of the aliens still managed to fight through the cold, but the fliers closest to the blast centers suffered engine failure as their jetpacks seized. Van Doorn smiled as he watched the little cybernetic balls of hate drop out of the air and slam into the metal floor.

"Melee team, move in and take them out. We'll handle the rest of the fliers." Van Doorn turned to Beagle, "Isn't that right, Captain?"

Beagle heaved the Recoilless Rocket Launcher to his shoulder and took aim at the fliers, "You know me, boss. I love the smell of smoking ayys in the morning. One Flak Rocket coming right up."

Van Doorn groaned, though he couldn't keep the smile off his face, "Sometimes, I feel like you could do with a touch more professionalism, Beagle."

"Yeah, well… at this point, people would probably wonder who the fuck was mind controlling Beagle and making him talk like a pretentious prick if I changed my ways."

The warhead hissed to life and streaked across the room before detonating amid the still-hovering crowd of Floaters. Beagle took a moment to put on a pair of shades and admire his handiwork, "Besides, sometimes you just have to take a moment and appreciate the finer things in life."

"On that account, I couldn't agree more." Van Doorn answered before keying his mic, "Prepare for new Grimm contacts, team. I don't know if the cybernetic aspect of the Floaters will interfere with the genesis process, but it's probably safer to assume the worst."

* * *

" _To any available units, Strike Two is getting hammered in Delta Section. We could use some help down here. Preferably with something that can handle Cyberdicks._ "

" _Strike Two, this is Six. We're en route and bringing MECs. Sit tight until the cavalry arrives._ "

Zhang sat at the edge of his bed with his head in his hands. This wasn't right. He should be out there with his squad, pushing back the proverbial barbarians at the gates. Instead, all he could do was sit here and listen while the operatives in his squad faced death in his absence. It almost made him wish he never asked for the commlink in the first place.

"They'll be alright, sir." The medbay guard assured him, "There's a reason the 'Chilong Gang' is famous throughout XCOM, and that's because they kick ass and take names."

"Yeah, but Strike Two is currently missing its squad leader and second-in-command." Zhang pointed out, "In case you forgot, Major Durand is on the Temple Ship operation with Commander van Doorn while I'm stuck here with fuck-all to do."

The guard chewed his lip, unsure of how to respond to Zhang's (admittedly solid) point, "Well, Six is Witchy's mob, isn't it? She knows how to snipe the ass off a Sectoid at eighty yards, and she trained up the rest of the squad's GLR hotshots. Those 'discs are toast."

" _Strike Three-Seven is suffering losses from the Chryssalid offensive, and requesting more security teams for support._ "

" _Three-Seven, this is Nine. We can send a few operatives to back you up, but the rest needs to stay in reserve to defend the labs._ "

" _Understood, Nine. Any firepower is good firepower. We'll take what we can get at this point._ "

"Three Assault Carriers-worth of contacts." Zhang mused, "Even with seven Strike Teams to fend them off, it's hard to imagine fending off that much firepower."

" _Central, this is Four. Engineering is lost. Repeat, Engineering is lost._ "

" _That's not an option, Four._ " Bradford growled back, " _We lose Engineering, and the aliens have access to a lift that spans the entire base._ "

" _It's already lost, sir. I-"_

Zhang raised an eyebrow at the guard as static filled the channel. Seconds later, Bradford's voice returned, " _All available security teams not already engaged with the invaders, haul ass to the labs. I need anyone and_ everyone _capable of picking up a gun and pulling the fucking trigger to get to Research ASAP._ "

He knew that a smile was highly inappropriate at a time like this, but Zhang couldn't help it. His lips curled into a grin as he watched the two guards exchange nervous glances once more. The Colonel slowly stood up and grabbed his handgun off of the table next to his bed before facing the guards once more.

"You heard the man: everyone capable of picking up a gun needs to muster at the labs." He held up Aurate Mercy and casually examined it, "Do I need to demonstrate that I'm capable of pulling the trigger as well, or can we just skip that and start moving?"

"I… that won't be necessary, Colonel."

Zhang nodded, "Good. Congratulations, gentlemen. You are the inaugural members of XCOM's Strike Ten, led by Colonel Zhang." He popped the revolver chamber out and confirmed that it was full before flicking it back into place with a _click_ , "Now show me what you're made of."

* * *

 _Now… the New One confronts a greater threat - a rare strength, found in an easily controlled breed. And yet, they are incapable of brilliance, of independence… they will never be more than primitive warriors… serving only to fight, and die, as those who came before them._

Annette held up a hand, signaling for the team to stop. She shared a look with van Doorn, who nodded and turned to Blake, "You're up, Shadow Team. Annette's spidey senses are tingling again, so move ahead and figure out what we're up against this time."

Blake and Ren saluted before activating their Ghost armor and vanishing without a sound. The rest of the team took cover in the hallway and remained on high alert in the event that the aliens chose to actively seek them out. Ruby, Weiss, Yang, and Penny took up a position in the rear while Jaune, Pyrrha, and Nora kept watch up front. The Earth operatives took cover between the two hunter squads.

"How do you think the base defense is going?" Pyrrha asked her partner in a low voice.

Jaune looked mildly surprised that Pyrrha wanted to engage in small talk, but he answered all the same, "They'll be fine. Bradford's got seven different Strike teams at his disposal, plus all the tech we've developed over the course of the war. Three Assault Carriers is a lot, but there's only so many places they can funnel in their troops, you know?"

Pyrrha nodded, though Jaune could see that she looked unconvinced, "I suppose you're right. Still, it would be awful if this victory turned out to be-"

"Pyrrhic?"

"You know I don't like that joke." Pyrrha said, glowering.

Jaune held his hands up in surrender, "Sorry. I think Beagle's gallows humor is starting to rub off on me."

"Joking or no, you're still right." Pyrrha continued, "What if we come back to a completely destroyed base? Even if we've managed to cripple the invasion, Vahlen and her staff is the only way we'll be getting back to Remnant anytime soon. If they die-"

"We'll find a way." Jaune interrupted, "I firmly believe that Bradford will mount a successful base defense, but if the worst does come to pass, then we'll find a way."

Pyrrha was about to respond, when a panicking Blake cut her off, " _We've been detected, and hostiles are closing in! Lots of Muton squads, both ranged and melee._ " The sounds of plasma fire in the next room reached the hunkered down squad, " _We need backup, and we need it now!_ "

Van Doorn swore, "The aliens must have developed countermeasures to our cloaking tech. Haul ass, squad! Penny, lead the charge and go in guns blazing. We need to take the heat of of Shadow, and I can't think of a better way to do that than with a fifteen-foot MEC. Gizmo, make a beeline for Shadow team and pull their asses out of the fire. Everyone else: weapons free. Fuck those Mutons and fuck them _hard_."

The Odin unleashed a gutteral cry that sounded not at all like Penny and the MEC barreled down the hallway. After Penny rushed into the room and started to make some noise with her arm cannons and grenade launcher, the rest of the squad followed suit and took stock of the unfolding situation. Indeed, multiple Muton fireteams were scattered across the room, taking up firing positions while the Berserkers made their way towards Blake and Ren's cover in the far corner of the room. As soon as the two MECs had burst through the archway, several dug-in teams turned to attack the newcomers while the rest continued their assault on the cornered scouts.

"Focus fire on those Berserkers." Van Doorn ordered, "If they get into melee range of Shadow, we've got serious problems. Hammertime, give our friends some smoke to help them hold out until we get things under control."

"Yes sir!" Nora cocked her grenade launcher, and two canisters whistled as they arced through the air towards Blake and Ren. Seconds later, a pair of concealing pink clouds bloomed into existence. Gizmo jet-boosted herself overhead and started to make a run for the scouts, and the fire teams responded by peppering her with plasma fire. Ruby noticed the MEC's armor plating flare as the superheated munitions struck its surface.

" _Hostiles possess HEAT munitions._ " Gizmo reported, before ducking behind a pillar, " _I will not survive the run to our comrades._ "

"Then don't try it." Jaune answered as he put away his Plasma Dragon and activated his semblance, "I'll make sure our friends get the cover they need. Pyrrha?"

Jaune felt the familiar tug on his armor and found himself soaring through the air seconds later. He tucked himself behind the safety of his shield and watched as it soaked all of the plasma shots that ordinarily would have hit him instead. At the apex of his flight, Jaune stole a look at the battlefield and cringed. The number of Mutons arrayed against Strike one was _staggering_. Didn't Annette say that the Ethereals wanted her to reach the end? If so, why try so hard to kill their precious 'key to ascension?'

He landed with a thud behind the crumbling cover occupied by his friends, "Hey guys. Fancy seeing you here."

Blake rolled her eyes, though she looked relieved all the same, "Good to see you too, Jaune."

On the other end of the room, Ruby used her enhanced senses and psionically-enhanced reactions to pick off one target at a time before the rest of the fire teams forced her back into cover. The squad managed to decommission most of the Berserkers, and Nora's cloud provided enough cover for Blake, Ren, and Jaune to safely kill the rest without exposing themselves to the plasma fire of the rest of the aliens. As Ruby tried to take another shot at a target, she considered asking Weiss for a Time Glyph to further boost her killing potential. When she remembered how energy-intensive the process was for her friend, however, Ruby decided against it. As Strike One continued to trade blows with the Mutons, Ruby wracked her brain for a solution to the deadlock.

"This is taking too long. Every second we waste in this piss fight with those aliens is a second they get closer to taking out Shadow." Beagle said, "Not to mention we'll likely have Grimm trying to chew our asses off in a minute. Permission to use a rocket, Actual?"

The Field Commander nodded, "Do it, but make it count. Everyone else, provide covering fire while Beagle makes his shot."

" _Your best bet is aiming for the upper-middle walkway._ " Jaune called out over the comms, " _I got a good look at their formation on my flight over._ "

"When that rocket goes off, we need to use the opportunity to punch through."

Weiss watched everyone gear up for the rocket gambit and felt an uneasy feeling growing in her stomach. Beagle's rocket would be helpful against the central squads, but the outer squads would still be capable of counterattacking and doing considerable damage to her allies. They didn't want to count on Gizmo or Penny for help, because of all the HEAT ammunition flying everywhere, so their couldn't use their heavy firepower against the Mutons. They needed some sort of meat shield, but sacrificing _anyone_ from the squad was not an option. The word 'expendable' simply didn't exist in Strike One.

Unless…

"On my mark, Strike One!"

Weiss knew she had seconds to pull off something that she'd never been able to do before. Eyes closed, she calmed her mind as best she could before focusing on the task at hand. Never before had she summoned a Beowolf, a miniature Nevermore, or even a Creep. How could she possibly do it now? Then again, maybe she didn't have to summon a Grimm at all. Winter told her to think back to her fallen foes, those who forced her into becoming the huntress she is today.

Like a lightning bolt, an idea struck her. A long shot, surely, but maybe she could make it work. She wracked her brain for a strong memory she could use for the summoning. When had the aliens forced her into becoming a better fighter?

Weiss smirked.

"Mark!"

As everyone else stepped out and let loose with their rifles and grenade launchers, Weiss brandished Myrtenaster and whipped it at the Mutons attacking from the right. Beagle's rocket screamed towards its target, and the room became enveloped in a flash of white. When Weiss could see again, a pair of white and blue Chryssalids stood before her, facing the Elites she had her eye on. Her heart soared, and she used her soul's essence to command the Alien horrors to charge forward. The summoned spirits shrieked and skittered forward. Friend and foe alike gawked as the evanescent creatures charged the Muton line, tearing into the first one with very real and very wicked talons before everyone remembered how to pull a trigger.

A roar from the left indicated that Jaune's team seized the opportunity to push forward towards a more defensible position.

"Thanks, Vance…" Weiss whispered.

"They're disorganized!" Van Doorn shouted, "Push the attack!"

Ruby heard Annette's voice in her mind, _Ruby, with me. Let's sow more terror among the Mutons, shall we?_

The Captain and the Major locked eyes and shared a knowing smile. Ruby channeled her psionic energy and sent it towards Annette, additional fuel for the fire to come. Annette's eyes glowed a bright purple, and the fingers tapping her forehead shot out and pointed straight as an arrow to the fire teams wounded by the rocket. A whirlpool of psionic energy swirled into existence, lashing out and killing the aliens caught within its chaotic grasp.

"Forward, MECs! Let's finish them off!"

" _Targets acquired! Firing solutions ready!_ " Two deep thumps resounded as Penny's rail guns annihilated a pair of Mutons trying to defend against Weiss's pets. Gizmo's Jetboots fired and launched the Pathfinder into the midst of the Mutons scrambling to mount a defense against Jaune's push.

Ruby breathed a sigh of relief. The tide had turned, and the fight was now well in Strike One's favor.

Hopefully, the rest of the fighting would get easier from here on out.

* * *

A/N: Alright, important question for you all. The second half of this battle is already written and ready to go through the editing process before it gets posted next week. The only problem is that 'second half' is kinda stretching it, because the chapter clocks in at a whopping _10,250 words_. Now, I have two options for this monstrosity. Option A, just post the whole thing as a single chapter so you don't have to wait even longer for a resolution to the Temple Ship assault. Option B, split up the mission into thirds (like the Terror Mission) so you're not faced with the prospect of tackling a 10k word chapter.

I don't mind either way, so I want to hear from you guys which option you'd prefer. Let me know!


	38. So Others May Live

_An artificial warrior… created to supplement the limitations of the many… failures. Crafted with a singular purpose… it ultimately contributes little to our cause. Still, there is hope, as the New One approaches…_

Ruby vowed to never again hope that things would "get easier" during an operation. Because the moment that thought crossed her mind after the Muton encounter, cosmic forces decided to crush her dreams by throwing Strike One up against a squad of Sectopods. Squaring off against two proved hard enough in the past, but apparently the Ethereals wanted to provide themselves with some entertainment before facing their deaths. And quite honestly, Happy Fun Ethereal Murdertime seemed like the best way to blow off some steam for Ruby if she managed to get out of this Sectopod fight in one piece. Maybe Annette had the right idea all along.

" _We've got problems, Actual. Two of the 'pods are locking in on your location with their missile salvos while the other three have their cannons primed and ready to vaporize anyone trying to dodge the fireworks_." Ren reported from his hidden position across the room.

Van Doorn swore before keying his mic, "Then we'll just have to take our chances. Sabretooth? You still good at running overwatch?"

"Now that I have my semblance to work with?" Blake asked, "I'm even better."

With feline grace, Blake dashed out from cover and into the open. Two of the three Sectopods immediately opened fire with their primary cannons, scoring direct hits with their deadly ordnance. However, the target fizzled into a shadowy afterimage, and the real Blake continued running, ducking, and weaving. Van Doorn watched as Blake would freeze every few seconds before vanishing into nothingness and marveled at the incredible utility of the huntress's power.

"You're a goddamn miracle, Five. Seven, you can handle the last one, right?"

"Absolutely." Jaune answered, brandishing his family heirloom and stepping out to stare down the Sectopod. As the death machine charged its cannon, Jaune braced himself for the painful impact. His entire body rocked as the cannon's payload crashed into his shield, and Jaune's aura flared in protest at the heavy and sudden assault. The salvo lasted for a solid four seconds, and Jaune felt every strike blast away a chunk of his very soul. And yet, when the robot's cannon finally fell silent, Jaune remained standing.

"Well done, Seven! _Everybody clear out!_ "

The final pair of Sectopods finished their lock-on sequence just as Strike One began to clear out from the middle balcony and dash for safety on either side of the room, and the whistling of rockets filled the room moments later as the team's original cover became saturated with high-yield explosives. The blazing heat from the explosion grazed Ruby's back while she slid to safety behind a wide pillar, and she watched the rest of the operatives follow suit to weather out the firestorm as one whole side of the room was reduced to slag.

"Yeesh, glad nobody got left behind in _that_ mess." Ruby commented while she did a quick headcount, "Although now that I have thoroughly jinxed myself, has anyone seen my sister? She's been awfully quiet for at least a minute, and that actually worries me."

" _Worry not, little sister!_ " Yang called out over the comms, " _The Doorninator sent me and Penny on a little mission. Preparations are alllllmost finished!_ "

From Ruby's left, Blake sighed, "Yang, tell me it's not what I think it is."

" _Oh, you know it is._ "

"Just… make sure your limbs are stored somewhere safe, okay?"

" _Don't worry, Blake!_ " Penny chirped, " _The Odin's many utility bins have the capacity to store a lot more than a few arms and legs. Besides, this plan has many positive benefits! Not only is Yang able to use her Aura to protect his hardware platform against the HEAT munitions utilized by our enemies, but I am now able to focus all of my processing power on the Odin's auxiliary systems._ "

Blake glanced at Ruby and muted her comm, "I just asked my best friend to make sure she's storing her limbs in a safe place while she joyrides in a giant robot. I've lost control of my life, Ruby."

"At least you're not losing control of the situation!" Ruby joked.

" _Oh man, you have_ got _to take this thing for a spin sometime, Blakey. I feel so badass right now._ "

"I'm happy for you, Yang." Blake answered, sharing an eyeroll with Ruby, "Now can we please get on with solving the problem at hand?"

" _Alright, Penny. Let's see if we're drift-compatible._ "

"Goddammit, Yang."

The sound of a loud bang caused Ruby to snap her head towards the doorway the team came through, and she saw a grenade sail through the air towards the Sectopods. Her eyes focused on the small details of the explosive's exterior, and she grinned when she spotted a small lightning bolt stamped on the metal casing. It hit the ground between the front two Sectopods and detonated in a storm of electricity.

"Thank God for Dust." Beagle whispered in awe as the power surge coursed through the mechanical aliens.

Van Doorn seized the opportunity and started issuing orders, "Beags, pop a Shredder on their asses to soften up our guests. Gizmo, get a lock on the Titan in the back, and don't let up until you've killed it or you're out of ammo. Elsa, I think our Odin support has the right idea with Lightning Dust, so you're on shock duty. Sabretooth and Shrike, stay back for now, but I want you poised to go in hard and fast if you have an opening to do some serious damage. Hammertime, pound them with grenades to keep the pressure up, maybe work with Elsa like you did with the Floaters. Arkos, get their attention on you by staying front and center, though be ready to dive for cover if they start charging their death beams. No-Scope, wait for them to expose a weakness, then capitalize the _shit_ out of it." He turned to Annette, "Major, a little bit of inspiration to kick things off, if you would be so kind?"

Annette nodded, her eyes glowing purple as she channeled her psionic energy. When she spoke, her voice carried an unnatural weight with every word, "Stand firm, friends. The enemy doesn't stand a chance."

With Yang and Penny bursting through the vaulted archway to punctuate the start of Strike One's counteroffensive, van Doorn felt adrenaline surge through him from Annette's words. His Heavy Plasma Rifle locked and loaded, the Field Commander took aim and joined the opening salvo against the alien metalheads.

* * *

" _This is Strike Two, the mechanicals are tearing us a new one. Partizan stayed behind to fire one last rocket at these fucks and buy us some time to fall back. We could seriously use some more backup to stem the tide of 'toids and 'discs over here."_

"Two contacts coming down the hallway." Zhang muttered to his squadmates, "Take up positions behind this doorway and that crate, and be ready to open fire on my mark."

He probably looked ridiculous wearing little more than a medical gown, but the two security guards immediately followed his orders and prepared for the ambush. The heavy footfalls of the Mutons became louder a few seconds later, and Zhang quietly took aim at head level with his hand cannon while the aliens carried on towards certain death. The moment the first target stomped into view, Zhang shattered its breather mask with a shot to the face. His squadmates followed up by peppering the alien with laser fire as the targets scrambled for cover against the surprise attack.

A second shot from Zhang echoed through the hall, killing the wounded alien when it peeked out from cover to get a look at the opposition. The Colonel pulled back to the safety of the doorway as plasma fire from the second Muton sizzled past. With the element of surprise gone and with no equipment beyond a handgun and two laser rifles, Zhang only had a handful of tricks at his disposal. He couldn't risk trading blows with the Muton, because a single plasma shot would be fatal if it hit him anywhere that wasn't an arm or a leg. Further, he didn't want to order the security personnel to shoot in his stead and hope for the best, because that would just be throwing lives away.

"Sir." The guard next to him started, pulling Zhang out of his thoughts, "I'll do whatever it takes. Just tell me what you need."

Zhang smiled. Here stood before him a soldier, likely scared out of his mind and yet still perfectly willing to sacrifice his life if his superior officer said to. The old Zhang would've gladly taken up his offer without a second thought. The new Zhang, however…

"I need you to stay alive, soldier, for your corpse is of little use to me. We just need a way to make sure the bastard doesn't take our heads off the moment we peek around the corner."

The soldier looked visibly relieved at the Colonel's words, "Thank you sir, I won't let you down. I-" Zhang cut him off with a tackle to the floor behind the doorway as soon as he heard the beeping of the alien grenade. The explosive detonated, obliterating the cover previously occupied by the pair, and Zhang heard the Muton roar in anger.

Over the sounds of the Muton's rage, Zhang heard the quiet whimpers of his other squadmate, and he stole a cautious peek to see the guard on the floor with a hand clutching his abdomen.

" _Strike Three-Seven's hanging on by a thread against the Chryssalids. We're stemming the tide for now, but it'll take just one to break through before we have some problems._ "

"Shit, we don't have time for this." Zhang muttered. He needed a plan, and he needed it now. He glanced around for something, _anything_ , he could use before his eyes settled on a fire extinguisher. Without a sound, he pulled the tool off the wall and shared a glance with his partner. He pulled the safety pin out of the extinguisher's trigger mechanism and counted down from three. At zero, he held the nozzle out and unleashed a large blast of flame-retardant powder into the hallway separating Zhang from his wounded ally while the other guard made a dash through the concealing cloud. Plasma bolts pierced the fog, but the plan worked perfectly.

"And now for phase two…" The Colonel cocked his arm back and hurled the canister towards the Muton. He heard it clang on the floor and start to roll before he dashed out from the fog himself. The moment he had a line of sight to the extinguisher, Zhang raised his handgun and fired. He scored a direct hit, causing more powder explosively poured out from the entry hole and engulfed the Muton's position. Zhang looked back and saw his squadmate running forward towards the Colonel's new position with a rifle in each hand. He reached some cover next to the Colonel and tossed him the spare rifle.

"I'm guessing you're not carrying any spare rounds for your handgun, and Vargova isn't making much use of this at the moment." Zhang nodded in appreciation before taking the rifle in one hand. A brief look of confusion crossed the guard's face before realization dawned on him, "You… don't have a place to holster your handgun, do you?"

"No." Zhang answered, "But I don't think I need one."

"But sir… I don't think it's possible to properly aim a rifle with one hand."

"Not with that attitude, it's not. Let's go bag us a Muton."

Zhang stepped out from cover and kicked a supply crate towards the powdered fog. He heard it crash into a wall, followed by a surprised grunt of the Muton, before he took aim with his new rifle and pulled the trigger. The laser technology hummed as it charged up, and Zhang felt the rifle recoil slightly as a bright red beam lanced through the white smoke. The other guard, encouraged by a roar of pain from the Muton, followed suit and fired blindly into the white cloud. A few plasma bolts shot out in random directions as the Muton tried to haphazardly retaliate, but fortune smiled upon Zhang's opening shot and allowed the Colonel to hit something vital. He discharged his rifle twice more before advancing into the fog towards his foe.

He heard the alien moan in pain as he approached. Once Zhang stepped close enough to view his enemy through the blanket of white, he saw the Muton laying on the floor, Plasma Rifle clutched weakly in its hand. The monstrous creature looked up, cast one hateful glare at Zhang, and tried to bring his rifle to bear on the Colonel. A high-caliber shot from Aureate Mercy rang out, and the Muton lay well and truly dead on the floor.

"Holy hell, sir." The guard said as he saw the powder dissipate and reveal the grisly scene, "I guess this is why you're the Colonel. Are you alright?"

" _Strike Four, reporting in with more bad news. We had a killzone set up around the elevator entrance to the Research floor, but the aliens broke it. Fuckin' Sectoid Commanders don't play fair. Those of us left are trying to regroup and form another defensive line, but it'll probably be up to Nine to hold the Labs._ "

Zhang coughed and started walking back towards their wounded comrade, "Never been better, except for this white shit that's probably halfway to my lungs now. Then again, I've breathed in worse at the hands of Thin Men, so I'll live. How's Vargova?"

"Took a glancing blow to the ribs. Shit's gonna hurt like hell until he can get patched up, but I think the plasma actually cauterized the wound, so he'll be alright until help arrives."

Zhang looked down at Vargova, who looked a little woozy from the pain, "Can you stand, soldier?"

"I… what?" The guard slurred.

"Stand. Can you stand?" Zhang repeated.

"Maybe?" Vargova leaned forward, slowly trying to get to his hands and knees. Zhang sighed, put down his weapons, and pulled the man to his feet. With aliens slowly overrunning the base, the three of them didn't exactly have the luxury of time. He handed off the wounded soldier before picking up his weapons once again.

"Alright, let's move out. Looks like the Nine's are hosting a party. It'd be a shame if we missed it."

* * *

" _Go get 'em, Gidjit!_ "

Yang felt a slight pressure on the Odin's back as the Cyberdisc ejected from its cradle. The flying robot stabilized its flight before floating around one side of the hallway to flank the Sectopods. Weiss's lightning storms kept some of the walkers occupied, but the amount of volts required to keep all five of them shocked was well above the huntress's limitations. Jaune and Pyrrha picked up the slack by firing upon the Sectopods from the center of the room and tanking shots while the rest of the team continued to hammer the machines from afar. The hardened shells of the Sectopods nullified the effectiveness of Dust rounds, however, so the slow-but-steady method of whittling down their hull integrity with plasma served as the only alternative.

Well, Yang planned to speed things along a bit.

" _Hey Penny, you've got some targets for me yet?_ "

" _Yes! I've been coordinating with Captain Ruby, and we've identified several vulnerabilities that are beginning to form on our targets. Would you like to focus on the one in the front targeting Pyrrha and Jaune, or the Titan-class contact in the back?_ "

Yang loaded up a pair of slugs into her Railguns and began to cycle her weapons into a charged state, " _You know what they say, kiddo: go big, or go home. Gimme a firing solution for our Titan buddy._ "

" _Done. Shall I lead off with a salvo from the MLRS?_ "

"… _Marry me, Penny._ "

" _I'm not sure how that's relevant, but I'll take it as a yes!_ "

The Odin's shoulder-mounted rocket pod snapped to a forward position, and Yang's HUD lit up with a multitude of projected impact locations for Penny's salvo. The micro rockets ignited a second later, and the air in the room became filled with the contrails of ten warheads streaking towards the Sectopods before shaking the room with their explosive impact.

"Okay, please remind me why I'm here again." Beagle complained.

" _Don't feel bad, Captain!_ " Penny chirped, " _The Odin's Multi-Launch Rocket System is only capable of being fired once, as Dr. Shen didn't have time to implement a reloading mechanism before the Temple Ship assault. If we fight anything more dangerous than these Sectopods later on, it will be up to you to and Sergeant Nora to deploy Strike One's explosive capabilities!_ "

Beagle sighed, "The question was rhetorical, Penny, but thanks anyway."

Yang stepped up to the edge of the wrecked balcony and raised her arms, " _Penny, would you mind giving these guns a nudge and to make sure they hit our target dead on?_ "

" _Of course! Be advised, the Titan appears to be preparing to fire._ "

" _Well, so are we. Aim for its death cannon when the plating opens up._ "

"All units, concentrate fire on the Titan!" Van Doorn called out as he joined Yang in her efforts to take down the gargantuan Sectopod. A flash of light on the ground floor caused the Field Commander to glance down and see Jaune standing out in the open and staring down the machines, his Semblance armor glowing a bright white as he tried to keep their attention on him. The Titan dropped into a firing position and produced its main cannon for Yang to shoot at. The Odin's Rail Guns hummed before explosively ejecting their alloyed slugs with a thunderous _boom_. A large plume of flame erupted from the Titan as it staggered back from the force of Yang's attack. Three other Sectopods opened up their cannon ports and took aim at the massive MEC.

" _Penny!_ "

" _Deploying Jetboot Modules! Please protect the cockpit, Yang!_ "

The huntress felt herself bob slightly as the Odin lifted off the ground. She crouched into a defensive position and brought the Rail Gun arms up to cover the MEC's body. Yang heard two of the Sectopods fire while Penny drifted the Odin into a juking maneuver, and she winced as she felt at least one of the enemy's cannon shot's connect with her hardware's frame. The impact of the blow sent the hovering Odin tumbling to the ground floor, and Yang yelled in frustration. She glanced up to assess the damage, and noticed a sprawled Jaune on the ground in front of her.

"… _Jaune, are you alright?_ "

"Yeah." He groaned, "Those things can hit pretty hard, though. I'm glad Ruby managed to disable one before it could fire. You doing okay?"

" _Better than I would have been if you didn't tank one of the shots for me._ " She admitted as she pulled herself back to her feet and loaded a new pair of slugs into her armaments, " _But you do realize that this thing has armor for a reason, right?_ "

"It's also got Strike One's biggest guns. Every hit on the Odin might be the one that takes your Rail Guns offline."

"Titan is down, but not out." Blake reported over the comms, "I'm moving in with Shrike to finish it off."

Two shadowy figures materialized behind the Sectopod formation and descended upon the wounded behemoth. Their Gauss-enhanced weaponry chattered as the two hunters closed to melee range and set to work shredding the robot's vital hardware. The Titan tried to use its backup Plasma Rifle, but Blake cleanly dismembered it with a swipe from Gambol Shroud. The other Sectopods took notice of the two operatives laying into their 'leader' and deployed their own pintle-mounted Plasma Rifles, forcing Blake and Ren to retreat to safety and lick their wounds.

"Shame you couldn't finish the Titan." Van Doorn commented.

"Wait for it, Actual."

The grenade left behind by Blake detonated seconds later, leading into an explosive and definitive end for the Sectopod.

Annette whooped, "That's what I'm talking about! Let's bag the rest of these bastards so I can get my murder on with the Ethereals."

* * *

The Chryssalid gurgled lamely as the bullet from Aureate Mercy shot out its throat. Zhang glanced back to see his squadmate (Anderson Menezes, he learned once he realized he should know the names of the guards accompanying him) still supporting a dazed Vargova. Down the hall and around the corner, he could hear the sounds of gunfire and shouting operatives. Once he reached the labs, Zhang could find someone to take care of Vargova while he and Menezes joined Strike Nine in holding off the aliens. He might receive some strange looks for joining the fight in an opened-back gown from the medbay, but XCOM had more pressing matters than to judge the Colonel on his sense of combat fashion.

As the trio continued their slow advance down the hallway, the vents above started to clatter. The soldiers froze as the banging continued along the vent before Zhang quietly raised his laser rifle and aimed at the aluminum structure and fired off a burst of energy that tore the metal wide open and sent a Sectoid tumbling into the hallway. Zhang growled and held the trigger down on his rifle as he unloaded into the unlucky alien, turning the little gray creature into a pile of ash.

A pile of ash that started leaking black matter.

"Shit, we need to move _now_ , Menezes."

"Yes sir, I'll-" Zhang glanced back when the soldier cut himself off, only to see a glazed look on his face and a faint purple glow in his eyes. The Colonel desperately cast his eyes around to locate the hidden Sectoid Commander, even as he heard the dead corpses on the floor bubble and congeal into cohesive piles of black matter. As he stared at Menezes, he saw a very faint trail of purple extend from his head that seemed to flow like smoke on a breeze. He strained to focus eyes eyes, and saw that the trail back to the corner they had come from. With a low growl, Zhang walked quickly towards the corner and checked the bullets left in his revolver. One bullet. Provided he could get close enough to the little bugger, one bullet was all he needed.

The Commander must have sensed his approach, because it quickly stepped out from the corner and Zhang watched it send a blast of psionic energy in his direction. He didn't have enough time to dodge the attack, so he felt it slam into his chest and forcefully stagger him backwards. Zhang heard Menezes drop Vargova behind him, and the Colonel knew that he needed to kill the Sectoid quickly. He gritted his teeth and took aim at the alien. The bugger's eyes grew wide, and it turned tail to run away. A single shot echoed through the hallway, and the blood-splattered Sectoid corpse skidded to a halt a few seconds later.

Zhang jogged back to his squadmates and helped the dazed Menezes pick up Vargova, "Now we must run. That little scuffle cost us precious seconds that could have been better spent putting distance between us and the growing Grimm."

"I know, sir. Sorry I couldn't resist the mind control." Menezes apologized as he and Zhang practically dragged the bleeding Vargova between them.

"It's not your fault, soldier. Those Commanders are very good at what they do, and what they do is get into your head and make you want to kill the man standing next to you."

They rounded the corner and set eyes on a makeshift barricade erected around the entryway into a lab halfway down the hall. Zhang counted six operatives manning the fortifications, and he watched one raise her eyebrows in shock at the sight of the barely-dressed Colonel and two security guards rapidly staggering towards their position.

"Look alive, soldiers. We've got at least one Grimm forming up in the hallway behind me, with another one likely on its way. This man needs triage, and I need some armor that's more effective than a goddamn patient's gown."

"I- what- of course, sir." The operative sputtered as she struggled to come to terms with the developing scene before her. With the help of another operative, she cleared a path through the barricade to allow the newcomers entry into the lab. As Zhang's eyes adjusted to the brighter lighting of the room, he saw a surprised Vahlen look up from a patient's bed in the back.

"I thought I heard your voice, Colonel. What are you doing here?"

"Finding someone to treat this man, for starters." He answered, nodding at Vargova, "And following Bradford's orders to defend the Labs. What's the situation here?"

Vahlen looked ready to reprimand Zhang for not staying in the Medbay, but decided against it, "You'll have ask the leader of Strike Nine. I'm just focusing on trying to keep as many people alive as possible." She answered as she helped Zhang escort the wounded guard into an open bed, "She's out front manning the barricades."

"Probably the one who let me in, then. Thank you, Doctor."

"You're welcome. Oh, and Zhang?" The Colonel stopped walking towards the door and glanced back at Vahlen, waiting for her to continue, "Do be careful. You were obviously healthy enough to make it here, and I'll be the first to admit that I feel safer with you around, but there's a fair chance that you may exacerbate your wounds if you throw yourself back into combat immediately."

"I'll bear that in mind while I fight to keep you and your staff safe, Doctor." Zhang quipped as he resumed walking towards the door to meet with Strike Nine and help orchestrate the defenses of the Lab.

* * *

Although Strike One succeeded in bringing down the Titan, the other four Sectopods still put up an incredible fight. Weiss's lightning storms became increasingly ineffective as time wore on, and the machines managed to fire off more shots and missile barrages against the operatives. Ruby slowed the onslaught by firing precision shots into the gaping maws of the assault cannons, but the amount of kinetic energy required to successfully stun one of the Sectopods forced her to carefully space out her incapacitating shots or risk damaging Crescent Rose. Though good cover and effective use of Yang, Pyrrha, and Jaune as tanks minimized the damage, the squad's backline would need some attention from the squad's medic after the fight concluded.

Whenever possible, Blake and Ren performed hit-and-run strikes against the Sectopods in the back. While the machines had armored plating almost everywhere, the two hunters found small vulnerabilities they could exploit to impair the mobility and overall effectiveness of their foes. Pyrrha used her acrobatic combat style to great effect by keeping the secondary weapons of the Sectopods occupied and off the rest of the squad. Jaune supported her by acting as a safe haven and drawing some of the alien fire away from his partner. Gizmo continued to pelt the machines with shot after shot from her Particle Cannon, and Ruby watched as the damage started to add up.

"Y'know… I really do hate fighting these guys." The Field Commander commented, "I just feel so out of my element, you know? Give me a pack of Floaters or Mutons, and I can send them straight to hell. These armored monstrosities? Not so much."

"Tell me about it." Annette said with an eye roll, "I mean, I've got a fair shot at taking one down at close range, but I can't do shit against four. And none of my psychic bullshit works against them either, so no Magic Missiles for me."

Van Doorn popped out to fire another burst from his rifle before ducking back behind cover, "Well, hopefully we'll have the chance to feel useful again when the Ethereals come out to play. I know you've been itching for a fight with them."

"Oh, I've got a bone to pick with those fucks." Annette answered, her eyes flashing dangerously, "When we find them, you just sit back and watch the show, sir."

"Second target down!" Blake called out, her news punctuated by a ground-shaking explosion.

"BFG, move in with Gidjit and keep the pressure on." The Field Commander ordered, "Got a feeling these tin cans can't hold out much longer."

" _Yes sir!_ " Yang's Rail Guns boomed as she stomped forward towards the remaining Sectopods. Despite taking more hits during the fight, the Odin seemed to show no sign of wearing down. In fact, the Rail Guns seemed to fire with greater force now that the aliens had well and truly pissed Yang off. Her weapons thumped once more, and the two alloyed slugs cleanly punched through one of the robots.

"Beags!"

"Yep!" A rocket screamed across the room and slammed into the crippled Sectopod, enveloping it in fire and smoke. Several internal systems combusted from the heat before the machine blew apart completely.

"We've got 'em on the ropes! Keep it up!"

Gidjit unpacked into its Assault Form before laying into one of the remaining Sectopods with a point-blank salvo. Nora and Ruby shared a knowing look with each other, and the two raced forward while their weapons shifted into a hammer and scythe.

 _The one on the right has smoke venting from where Gidjit blasted it._ Ruby psychically informed her friend, _I'll bet you can take it down from there._

Nora grinned and broke off to attack her target while Ruby sized up the remaining Sectopod. She quickly ducked behind a pillar when the Plasma Rifle raked across the room to keep her back.

"Jaune? I could use a little cover."

"No problem, Captain! Get behind me!" With Jaune in front, the pair slowly advanced on the Sectopod. It tried to attack with its main cannon, but Gizmo dropped a high-powered shot straight down its maw. Once Jaune got her close enough, Ruby jumped out from cover and raked Crescent Rose along one of the robot's ankles. When its rifle spun around to get another bead on her, she fired a snap shot that blew the gun apart.

"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." She muttered while she dashed forward and hooked her scythe into one of the Sectopod's 'eyes.' Ruby used her leverage and momentum to swing herself into the air before twisting around and blasting herself back towards the robot. Crescent Rose smashed into a second optical unit, and the Sectopod frantically staggered around in an attempt to throw Ruby off. In the chaos caused by the robot's panic, Pyrrha leapt up onto its head and put her hand on one of its armored plates. While Ruby continued to systematically blind the Sectopod, an awful groaning of fatigued metal echoed throughout the room. Nora's victim came crashing down under the force of Magnhild just as the rending metal of Ruby and Pyrrha's prey finally tore free.

"All units, open fire!"

Ruby and Pyrrha jumped clear of the Sectopod while an array of slugs, plasma bolts, and high-energy particles assaulted the helpless machine. It crumpled after a few seconds from the onslaught, and joined its brother as a pile of scrap metal on the floor.

"Status check." Van Doorn called out, "Is everybody alright?"

"If someone can look at this piece of shrapnel jammed into my bicep, that'd be great." Beagle commented.

"I'll need a few minutes to rest up, sir." Jaune reported, "My Aura's just about gone."

" _All systems on the Odin are functional, sir! Sergeant Xiao Long is an excellent pilot._ "

Blake materialized next to the Field Commander, "Suffered some minor burns from a few lucky overwatch shots, but I should be alright until Vahlen has a chance to look at them."

"Alright. Shrike, do what you can, and then we'll move on. Got a feeling that the main event is coming up next."

* * *

Zhang sighed contentedly as he stepped out of the Labs clad in real armor. The squad leader of Strike Nine, a Corporal Melanie 'Collateral' Patterson, almost cried with relief when Zhang requested she formally transfer squad leadership to him. 'Strike Nine' consisted of all the operatives who hadn't been assigned to one of the other eight squads. It wasn't a real squad until a few hours ago when Bradford needed to utilize _all_ base personnel, and that included making a cohesive team out of XCOM's leftovers, a fact that didn't bother Zhang one bit.

" _We're getting chewed up in Delta Section. Casualties have been kept to a minimum so far, but we're running on fumes. Requesting permission to fall back immediately_."

" _Permission granted, Two._ " Zhang heard Bradford answer, " _We're holed up here in Mission Control with the rest of Six and most of Engineering. Fall back to our location, and we'll reinforce you._ "

On the whole, XCOM's prospects for surviving the base assault looked bleak. Bradford's Strike teams, while performing valiantly, were getting pushed back on all fronts. The operatives in Nine had their own commlinks, and they could all hear each and every piece of bad news as it came through the pipe. It didn't take a Colonel to see that his troops needed some serious words of encouragement if they were to avoid panicking at the first sight of a Thin Man or Chryssalid.

Zhang took a deep breath, "I don't give a shit about how much experience you may or may not have." The Colonel said as he hefted his Autolaser. He could have taken the Pulse Autoblaster from Nine-Five, but Zhang wasn't about to handicap one of his new subordinates simply because she had a better gun, "Just as my skill on the battlefield isn't dictated by the strength of the weapon in my hand, your potential to fight for humanity is not dependent on how many aliens you've killed."

In addition to seven actual operatives, Zhang had at his command a large number of base security personnel, all of them fearfully gripping the laser or gauss rifle in their hands.

" _Central, this is Strike Five. A large contingency of Mutons just wiped out the last of Strike Four. Repeat, Strike Four is lost._ "

"If you can listen to me and follow orders in the face of danger," he continued, "I promise that we'll see these arrogant motherfuckers drowning in a pool of their own blood."

One of the base techs raised a timid hand, "But sir… if the operatives in Engineering couldn't hold out against the aliens, what chance do we have?"

"A fighting one." Zhang answered, "It will be, without a doubt, the hardest fight of your life. But remember, we've come this far on the backs of the brave men and women that came before us, those that gave their flesh and blood to keep the bastards at bay. Do you want to honor their sacrifice by doubting everything they died for?"

"No sir…"

"Remember the fallen, my friends." The Colonel continued, "Casino and Tombstone. Scarecrow and Sledge. Defwen and Bolts. From the legendary to the lowly, they all shared one thing. A burning fire in their hearts that the aliens will _never_ snuff out. Even in death, they are with us still, giving us the courage and determination to fight tooth and nail for the tomorrow we all deserve."

" _Three-Seven here, they have the hangars. We're falling back to Mission Control._ "

Zhang carried on, as if oblivious to the words echoing through the comm system, "Know that each of you, in your heart of hearts, has what it takes to beat these bastards back. To show them that humanity is _not to be fucked with_. These Ethereals have the audacity to think that, because of their fancy spaceships and host of subservient races at their command, they can just waltz in here and take from us what's rightfully ours. Are you prepared to show them that the only thing they deserve is a fucking bullet between the eyes?"

" _Sir, yes sir!_ "

Zhang nodded, "Good. Operatives, form up on the barricades with Tech Squad Alpha. Squads Beta and Gamma will remain in reserve just inside the labs, ready to replace Alpha on my command. What we lack in psionic or mechanical support, we'll make up for it through superior numbers and sheer force of will. Here and now is where you will prove your worth as Guardians of Earth. Will the world remember you as the brave men and women of XCOM who held the line in the eleventh hour? I think you are, and it's up to you to prove it to me."

With righteous blood properly flowing through the soldiers of his squad, Zhang keyed his comm link, "This is Colonel Zhang of Strike Nine, requesting that any and all units in the vicinity of the Labs fall back and regroup at my location. We'll keep the research team protected while Central holds out in Mission Control."

The comms fell silent for a good thirty seconds before anyone spoke again, " _It's damn good to hear your voice sir. Strike Five is en route to assist, Colonel._ "

A cheer went up among his Lab defenders at the prospect of another Strike team coming to their aid. Zhang smiled as the adrenaline-fueled shout of his team echoing up and down the hall was answered with the familiar roar of a Muton squad.

"Buckle up, soldiers. Papa Muton wants to pay us a visit, and he's bringing the football team with him. Why don't we give them a proper welcome?"


	39. Their Finest Hour

Van Doorn held up a fist, and the team halted at the entrance of the next room.

"This whole mission has been an entire test that the Ethereals set up for us. They're throwing alien squads at us in the order they were deployed during the war, and unless I'm sorely mistaken, Sectopods and Elites were the last units deployed before the invaders threw us for a loop with the Grimm. So unless our friends are waiting until now to reveal one last challenge, it looks like we're heading into the final fight."

Annette nodded in agreement, "It makes sense, sir. If this is our last chance to catch our breath before the final fight, I want to say that it's been an honor serving with you."

"It's been an honor serving with _all_ of you." Van Doorn added, casting a glance across the entire squad, "In all my years as a military man, I've never had the pleasure of working with a finer force than XCOM." He smiled at Ruby, "More than that, I never thought I'd stake the fate of my planet on the abilities of teenagers, but you and your friends have been an inspiration to us all from the moment you stepped through the Hyperwave portal."

"Tumbled through, if we're being honest," Ruby quipped, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink, "But the sentiment is appreciated all the same, sir. While this war has taken its toll on all of us, I'd do it all again if given the chance."

"Same here." Yang said, once again standing on her own two feet, "Though I could probably do without the whole 'getting your limbs sawed off because your best friend took a talon to the gut' bit."

Van Doorn chuckled while Blake smacked her partner upside the head, "Your actions and sacrifices will not be forgotten, I promise you. I've heard that you're dealing with problems of your own back on Remnant and while I can't speak for anyone other than myself, I'd be surprised if you didn't have a sizable force of volunteers lining up to help you when this is all over."

"We'd be glad to have the help." Pyrrha smiled, "But I'm sure many of you have friends and family you want to get back to. It'd be wrong for you to survive one horrible war only to be lost in another before you have a chance to enjoy the freedom you worked so hard for."

"It's a price I'm willing to pay, Sergeant Nikos." Van Doorn replied, "But first we need to finish what we started here. Let's move."

Weapons at the ready, Strike One proceeded around the corner, only to find themselves faced with the most impressive and ornate room on the ship. Sunlight poured through massive windows that ran all the way up to the center of the vaulted ceiling, separated by sturdy alloy ribs that came together in the middle of the room. Stairs flanked pulpits on all sides of the bridge, though none more ornate than the pair running up and away from the entryway occupied by van Doorn's team. At the top of the stairs stood what could only be described as a shrine. An oval ring flanked by a pair of thick pylons stood above the rest of the room's features, and all three glowed with purple psionic power that flowed into a device that Annette recognized all too easily.

A figure remained kneeling before the Ethereal device, back turned to Strike One, as the purple purple ball pulsed and thrashed within its intricate cradle. Before Annette could say, think, or do anything, the familiar voice slithered into her head once more.

 _Behold the greatest failure… of the Ethereal Ones… We who failed to ascend as they thought we would._

The Ethereal stood up and faced the squad of operatives while two more stepped forward to stand on the flanking pulpits.

 _We who were cast out. We who were doomed to feed on the Gift of lesser beings… as we sought to uplift them… to prepare them… for what lies ahead._

Annette's face, contorted into a visage of pure rage, reminded Ruby of the time the Ethereals baited her into charging forward during the crashed Overseer operation from months ago.

"Annette, don't…"

The huntresses words came too late, though, and she could see her friend's eyes glow dangerously with psionic energy. In fact, Ruby noticed that the hue of Annette's entire Vortex Armor turned to a more vibrant purple than ever before as Major Durand loosed a bestial roar before charging into the room. Three strands of psionic energy shot out from the Ethereals and collided with XCOM's top psi operative. When Annette looked like she slammed head-first into a brick wall, she screamed with such force that the rest of Strike One (save for Penny) fell to the floor in shock. The Ethereals, while slightly phased by the sonic assault, merely raised their second pair of arms to reinforce their psionic barriers against the rabid operative.

Ruby recovered first from the shockwave, and ran for one of the adjacent Ethereals in an effort to loosen the mental net cast over her friend. Without even casting a glance at its new foe, the Ethereal merely diverted one of its hands and directed a portion of its energy towards Ruby. All at once, Ruby felt the crushing weight of the Ethereal's psychic force hit her like a truck. With a loud whoop, Yang soared over Ruby's head and collided with the alien.

" _Thank you for choosing Air Penny, and we hope you keep us in mind the next time you need a Fastball Special!_ "

Ruby couldn't help but laugh at Yang's obvious influence over their robotic friend and charged forward once she felt the Ethereal's concentration disrupted. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Annette also running slightly faster towards the head Ethereal in the back of the room.

The rest of Strike One began firing at the supporting Ethereals, though the blitz offensive only lasted until Grimm threads shot out from the hands of the psychic aliens and wove themselves into a pair of Ursa Major.

"JNPR, take down those Grimm! Gidjit, assist the hunters" Van Doorn ordered, "Gizmo, try to engage the starboard Ethereal to reduce its stranglehold on Major Durand while Penny provides heavy fire support from the rear. RWBY, assist your team leader. Beags, you're with me."

The members of Strike One leapt into action as the fight began in earnest. The left side Ethereal tried to wage its mind war on Ruby's friends, but the Captain used her own mental acuity to erect psychic barriers to lessen the effect and allow her team to keep fighting. Still, neither the small rivulet of blood leaking out of Blake's nose nor the look of pained determination on her sister's face escaped Ruby's attention. With four huntresses engaged in melee combat with the Ethereal, however, it had no choice but to focus its attention entirely on team RWBY.

With a gleeful shout, Nora launched herself at the closest Ursa and slammed Magnhild down on it's face before Ren had a chance to catch up with her and assist in taking down the Grimm. Jaune and Pyrrha broke off for the other monster, and Pyrrha flung her partner at the Ursa to achieve a similar effect to Nora's blitz. Remnant steel flashed as the two fighters tore into the massive creature, with Jaune slashing at the Ursa's face to keep its attention while Pyrrha gracefully flowed around their target to pick out and strike at its most vulnerable points. Assault cannon fire rained down from above, and van Doorn felt a sense of disappointment when Gidjit's attacks did little more than burn several holes through the armored plating of the Ursa.

"Damn Ethereals must be affecting the resonant frequency of the Grimm targets." Beagle commented.

The Field Commander snorted, "I know bullshit when I hear it, Captain, especially when it's coming from you."

"I was just curious what it felt like being Dr. Vahlen for a few seconds." Beagle said in a defensive tone as the two ran after Annette, "Spoiler alert, I got an immediate and overwhelming urge to discard any and all explosive armaments."

Van Doorn rolled his eyes and raised his rifle to target the Ethereal standing at the top of the stairs in front of Annette, "Fire on the big guy. I'm sure he'll deflect it, but it might give Major Durand the reprieve she needs to make more progress."

A powerful vibration filled the air before Penny discharged her arm cannons. Her Ethereal target managed to deflect the first shot into the pillar behind its pulpit while the second one slammed directly into its psionic shielding. The force of the alloy slug threw the Ethereal off its feet and slammed it unceremoniously into the glass window, causing multiple cracks to spiderweb out from the impact point.

 _This is not your path! Not your purpose! You need our guidance to hone this power… without us, what are you?_

"The bitch that's going to give you the beat down you deserve." Annette hissed. She felt the strain on her body reduce dramatically the moment Penny's shot decommissioned one of the Ethereals. Even though the second had the full force of team RWBY to deal with, the Uber Ethereal's psionic potency still made Annette feel like she was wading through molasses. She heard a pair of Plasma Rifles discharge from behind, and watched as her target diverted some of its power to halt the blows from her squadmates.

With no small amount of willpower, Annette raised her Reflex Cannon and grimaced as the weapon bucked hard into her shoulder when she pulled the trigger. The scatter shot connected with the Ethereal, and Annette almost fell to her knees as the alien's psychic potential flared in response to the attack. Realization dawned on her that bullets wouldn't be enough to put down this final foe. It had to be a battle of wills. She cast aside her shotgun and focused all of her energy into her mind. The psi channels embedded into Annette's armor widened the neural pathways throughout her body, and the Major felt psychic power course through her like a raging flood.

 _Temper your strength, Annette._

Like a shimmer of light in a sea of darkness, Annette felt Ruby's voice in the back of her mind. Where the Ethereal's felt like an uncomfortable, cacophonous intrusion, Ruby's felt like a soothing, gentle caress.

 _The Ethereal wants you to come at it with wild abandon. Let me help you, and we'll bring this alien down the right way._

Inspiring courage stayed the rising tide of rage within Annette's soul, and she looked over to see the young huntress smiling back at her. The other three members of RWBY remained locked in a furious melee with their own Ethereal foe, but Ruby focused her attention entirely on Annette. Plasma weaponry barked from behind the psionic prodigy once more, and Annette saw Beagle and van Doorn take up positions on either side of her.

"We're with you until the bitter end, Major. Take the bastard down."

* * *

Zhang growled as a fusillade of plasma fire kept his team pinned behind cover. With nobody shooting back, the Mutons would quickly advance and overwhelm his fortifications.

"Flashbang, now!"

From behind, one of Strike Nine's operatives unclipped the requested explosive, and Zhang whipped out his Autolaser the moment it detonated. The rest of Gamma Squad followed his lead, and a hailstorm of laser fire punished the few aliens cocky enough to advance down the open hallway. Several Mutons in the rear countered Zhang's attack with plasma shots from cover, and the superheated rounds smacked dangerously close to his soldiers as they peeked out from behind their scrap metal fortifications.

"Specter." Zhang called out to Strike Nine's Sniper, "Target the contacts in the rear."

"On it, sir."

"Gamma, keep the pressure on so that Specter can line up her shots." He keyed his mic to check on on the rest of Strike Nine, "How's our rear looking, Actual?"

" _Looks like they diverted some of their Chryssalids from the hangar to throw at us._ " She reported, " _We've been able to keep the bastards at bay so far, but I doubt it'll be long before-_ "

A cry of pain from Strike Nine's section of the barricade told Zhang that his band of soldiers had new problems to deal with. Indeed, the comms lit up with a multitude of panicked voices.

" _Snipers! Fucking Thin Mints took out Specter and Sentinel!_ "

Zhang swore, and the order to hunker down didn't make it past his throat before the Muton marksmen, free to aim without fear of getting snipped, scored several clean shots on his ill-equipped security squads.

"Fall back!" The Colonel roared, "Take up positions behind the interior barricades!" His fireteams would be safe from sniper fire inside the Labs, but the secondary barricades were Zhang's only ace in the hole. There would be no more falling back after this. His Autolaser continued to chatter as he provided suppressing fire to cover the escape of his allies. He heard a rocket fire from Strike Nine's end and assumed Nine-Actual was providing a similar service for her operatives.

Once he confirmed the rest of his (still breathing) soldiers had made it inside, Zhang fell back to rejoin them. With the combined firepower of Strike Nine and the three Tech Squads aimed at the only entrance into the Labs, Zhang took a moment to breathe.

"Lock and load, my friends. Gamma, fall back so that Alpha can sub back in while you help Beta keep Vahlen's staff protected. Everybody else: shoot anything and everything that comes through that door."

The operatives and base personnel immediately followed Zhang's orders, and a brief silence fell over the room as everyone waited for the firefight to start again. Muton footfalls stomped outside, yet not a single alien poked its head through the door. The moment absolute silence filled the air, Zhang began to get worried.

"If you have a grenade, keep it hot." He muttered, "Those bastards are up to something."

The silence didn't last, of course, The walls on either side of the door exploded inward as a phalanx of Muton Elites advanced, riot shields deployed and completely covering their bulky frames. From behind the meat shields, Mutons and Chryssalids poured into the room. Most of Zhang's explosive-toting soldiers followed his orders, and an array of HE, AP, and alien grenades sailed to the front of the room to wreak havoc among the forward ranks of the alien crash.

One of the fresh blue shirts, however, dropped his grenade in surprise when the walls caved.

Half of Alpha Squad dropped to the floor from the explosion, either dead or dying, and pandemonium erupted among the XCOM ranks. Soldiers fired blindly towards the door while they dashed back to the 'safety' of Beta and Gamma squads while more than one operative from Strike Nine hunkered down in a hyperventilating panic. Zhang couldn't believe it: he had a near-perfect defensive line, and now he watched it crumble around him because of a simple mistake.

If he didn't do something soon, the Labs would be a smoking crater of death and destruction. Vahlen, and all her knowledge and expertise, would be lost. The Grimm would run rampant among the nations of the world, and Ruby wouldn't see the green fields of Remnant for a very long time.

 _Unacceptable._ He thought. This, he could not allow. So many promises lay broken in his past, and Zhang could not stomach the thought of adding another one.

With fire in his eyes, the Colonel revved up his Autolaser and a draconic roar loosed itself from the depths of his soul. He stepped out from behind the barricade and raked his weapon's barrel across the room. While Zhang's suicidal counterattack stunned the aliens for a brief moment, they quickly recovered and continued their onslaught. The Colonel, however, refused to back down.

The Autolaser burned hot in his hands as XCOM's finest Gunner kept the trigger held tight. He focused down the Chryssalids charging the ranks of his operatives, and the fury in his heart burned brighter with every kill he made. Plasma slapped him in the shoulder, thigh, and gut, but Zhang felt nothing beyond the righteous fury burning within his heart.

"Follow the Colonel!" He heard one of the operatives shout, "Everyone, with Chilong!"

Zhang felt the corners of his vision begin to blur when his weapon ran dry. He threw the Autolaser and watched it knock down a surprised Muton before he unclipped the pistol from the back of his armor.

 _One more time, old friend. It's time for you to live up to the name Captain Rose gave you._

With one hand pressed against his abdomen to stem the flow of blood, Zhang aimed Aureate Mercy at the alien horde. It bucked once, and a Muton fell to the floor. It bucked again, and a Thin Man exploded in a cloud of acid.

The Colonel fell to one knee as a bolt of plasma glanced off his neck. His vision swimming, Zhang raised his hand cannon and fired twice, three times more. As the soldiers to his left and right charged forward to chase after the now-routed attackers, the Colonel let his arm fall limp. He heard the cries of his comrades, the fire of courage driving them onward, and Colonel Shaojie 'Chilong' Zhang felt a smile spread across his blood-spattered lips.

" _Lab teams, this is Strike Five. We're coming up on the tail end of the alien force. If you can push them out towards us, we'll drop the hammer and kick their ass from a second front._ "

For the first time in his life, he felt pride in his actions. It was always guilt that he felt before, like his good deeds at XCOM were paying off some debt from his old life. Now? As the beating of his failing heart matched the pounding of the boots around him, Zhang felt at peace.

He knew Ruby wouldn't have accepted anything less.

* * *

Annette closed her eyes turned her attention inward to the gathering rage within her very essence. Rather than try to stifle it, Annette simply worked to adapt it, shape it into a form that she could wield. The presence of Ruby in her mind and the comfort of allies at her side gave Annette the confidence she needed to exert mastery over the psionic potential roiling within her psyche. The sound of an Ursa roaring in pain became a mere background noise as Annette conducted her power as if she stood before the world's deadliest orchestra. When her eyes snapped open, she viewed the world through a purple haze.

Without even casting a glance, Annette could see the state of the battle raging all around her. Ruby's teammates, though performing admirably against the Ethereal, continued to show signs of faltering against its psychic onslaught. Annette felt the lance strike Yang square in the chest and suppressed a wince when she heard the fiesty huntress cough up a mouthful of blood. The huntresses threw themselves at the Ethereal with great ferocity, but Annette could feel their stamina begin to flag.

Gizmo didn't fare much better against her own target. Exploiting the MECs reduced willpower, the alien managed to bring Gizmo to her knees and had begun to drain her lifeforce to supplement its own while using the MEC's frame as a bodyshield against reprisal from Penny.

Annette watched JNPR fight the Ursai, and noted a faint trace of psionic energy influencing and enhancing the fighting capabilities of the Grimm. Indeed, the giant bears moved faster and struck harder than she remembered from previous encounters, and she saw Jaune begin to buckle as he continued to tank the blows for his partner.

Annette knew that her friends could finish this fight, but at what cost? These three were the cream of the invasive crop, even among the cadre of Ethereals. She couldn't deny the possibility of a huntress falling before RWBY successfully killed their prey, and even Beagle and van Doorn didn't look so good under the heavy psychic pressure emanating from the Uber Ethereal. No, she had to finish this quickly. Not only for the sake of the world, but her friends who stood with her here and now to see this through to the end.

"Chew on this." A torrential storm of psionic fire erupted from Annette's hand and struck the Ethereal. She felt her assault backed by the confidence of her friends, their hearts soaring at the sight of Annette's show of force. She channelled the hopes and dreams of XCOM, and the will of humanity itself to survive as power continued to surge from her fingers.

The Ethereal shrieked and held out a hand to launch a counterattack of its own, and Annette winced as she felt the alien's psionic knife pierce her mind. Pain coursed through her body, and Annette felt her control over the psychic fire begin to slip under the pressure of the Uber Ethereal. She knew the fight wouldn't be easy, what with this being the most powerful creature in the entire invasion, but Annette started to feel the beginnings of futility creep into her heart.

 _Slow and steady, friend. It won't be long now._

Ruby's voice lilted gently into Annette's mind, a comforting salve to ease the pain of the Ethereal's will. Annette felt Ruby's warmth burn away the doubt and replace it with steely confidence once more. The Major threw herself full-force back into the mind war, pouring ever more energy into the assault on the Ethereal.

Fresh power surged through Annette as she felt Ruby lend some strength of her own. The alien writhed in agony as the combined assault of XCOM's finest began to overload its defenses. Like ashes blowing away in the wind, purple vapors rose up from the Ethereal's body and drifted away into nothingness. The alien, just as resolute as Annette to win, launched another psychic bolt into the mind of its foe. Annette gritted her teeth and felt the attack flash painfully through her essence. She would not lose, however. Between herself and the Ethereal, Annette knew that she fought for a greater cause. The Ethereal merely wanted to succeed at enslaving another race to its ranks, just another line on an ever-growing list. On the other hand, Annette fought for freedom, for the right to live of her own free will and to exist on her own terms. If the Ethereal didn't understand that, it would soon find out.

More and more, the gray skin of the Ethereal dried up and crumbled into dust as Annette's fire burned away at the alien from the inside. She smiled the moment she felt her foe reach the conclusion that it might actually _lose_ this battle, and desperation began to take over its actions. It tried over and over again to counterattack Annette's steadily-growing psychic energy, but by now the assaults felt like the balled up fists of a petulant child. The Ethereal fell to its knees, and Annette felt its voice seep into her mind one last time.

 _You cannot hope to control… that which you have started. Together… so much… could have been realized…_

With a final blast of psionic force, the Ethereal ceased to exist, and the Temple Ship shuddered.

* * *

All at once, the aliens locked in combat with Bradford's forces keeled over with their heads clutched in their hands. Bradford, not one to let confusion stand in the way of opportunity, ordered his Strike teams to keep firing until every last Thin Man, Muton, and Floater lay still. A shrill alarm sounded across the Hologlobe's consoles, and Bradford rushed to see what caused the problem. Despite the life-or-death fight happening a stone's throw away, Bradford kept several technicians manning Mission Control's consoles to keep up with Strike One's progress and to continue surveillance over the Temple Ship.

"What the hell is happening?" He demanded.

"I… don't know, sir. Sensors are giving readouts that I've never seen before. If the equipment is correct, there's a massive gravity flux surrounding the Temple Ship, not to mention these new EM pulses radiating from the contact."

"It's acting like a dying star…" Dr. Shen whispered, coming to a halt next to Bradford, "Like it's on its way to becoming a black hole."

Bradford stared at Shen, "And with its distance to the Earth…"

"… Our planet will be consumed." Shen confirmed.

The Central Officer picked up a headset and hailed his ops team, "Strike One, this is Central Officer Bradford. The ship has become unstable, and is on the verge of a catastrophic event. You need to find a way to stop it, and you need to do it _now_."

Heavy static greeted Bradford in response, and a creeping sense of futility slowly gripped his heart the longer he waited for a response.

"The Electromagnetic pulses must be blocking all communication between us and Strike One." Shen guessed, "Hopefully they've figured out the problem themselves, or we're all in real trouble."

* * *

Annette cried out as images flashed before her eyes. Skyscrapers ripping themselves apart as streetlights, cars, and civilians flew past, all of them falling in the same direction. A giant, pulsating ball of pure energy, pulling everything towards its center and letting nothing escape. The vision skipped forward, and Annette watched in horror as the gravity well consumed the Earth itself, leaving nothing but a dark hole in its wake.

"Major?" Van Doorn asked, putting a hand on Annette's shoulder, "Annette, what's the problem?"

"We have to… to stop this." She answered shakily.

"Stop what?"

"This ship. It… it's going to destroy the Earth."

The floor shuddered once more, and the Field Commander steadied himself on the nearby railing before giving his friend a concerned look, "What do you mean?"

"The Ethereals, they controlled this craft with that device." She gestured towards the purple sphere, "With them gone, the Temple Ship is spiraling out of control. Only instead of simply crashing into the ocean like a Firestorm or Interceptor, its consequences are far more deadly." She looked up at van Doorn, tears beginning to run down her face, "We've doomed the planet, sir."

As the rest of Strike One gathered around, Van Doorn tightened his grip on Annette's shoulder, "Get ahold of yourself, soldier. We can still fix this. You've used that device once before, haven't you? Sure, it'll be different this time since you're trying to stabilize the ship, but you can do it again."

Annette shook her head, "I poured every last bit of my energy into killing that goddamn Ethereal. I… I have nothing left." Van Doorn watched as her expression changed, and she broke eye contact with the Field Commander. He recognized that look, and knew that an idea occurred to Annette. A sinister idea.

"Annette…"

"I can draw from my life force." The Major muttered, "I did it once before by accident, and it put me in the medbay for a week. But as long as I get this ship under control long enough to stop the destruction…"

"And what happens when _you_ die, Major?" Van Doorn said tersely, "Then the ship will grow unstable again and we'll be right back at square one, only without you to pilot the fucking thing."

"Then I'll blow it up while the rest of you escape." Annette responded, a fire growing in her eyes, "In case you haven't noticed, sir, we don't have a lot of time, and I'm out of ideas."

"I'm not." Ren said, and all eyes snapped to him, "Your psionic reserves have run dry, Major, that much is undeniable. However, your soul is still strong, I can feel it."

Ruby's eyes widened when she figured out the cryptic implication, "Ren, you aren't honestly…?"

"I am." The young hunter answered, "It can save the Major's life and allow her to maintain control over this ship long enough to stabilize it and avoid the catastrophe we're all about to witness." He glanced around at his friends and teammates, "But I need your help. Ozpin was kind enough to send me some… reading material, and combining it with what I know, we'll _all_ need to participate in the awakening if we have any hope of safely bringing Annette through the ordeal."

"Do you have any idea what they're talking about, sir?" Beagle asked van Doorn, "Because I haven't a fuckin' clue."

"Aura." Blake answered, "We're going to unlock her Aura."

Silence fell over the group as debris started to pile up around them from the ship's collapse. They all knew how badly Ruby's body reacted when the Ethereals introduced psionic power to her natural Aura. Wouldn't the reverse be similarly deadly for Annette?

"Do it." The psi operative said, "You're just as dead as the rest of us if this fails, so I know you wouldn't suggest it unless you were absolutely certain that this will work. I will do all I can to succeed on my end, and I'm trusting you to do what's necessary to help me through."

Ren smiled at Annette, gave her a nod, then turned to his friends, "Form up around the Major, in the exact order I tell you to."

He stood in front of each hunter and huntress one at a time, took a moment to feel their Aura resonating with his own, and assigned them to a position in the circle. Within a minute, Annette stood before the Ethereal device with a semicircle of hunters facing her, eyes closed and ready to begin.

Ren let out a heavy breath, "Alright, I will begin, and we continue around in order until the rite ends with Ruby. Are we all ready?"

"Feels like I'm watching history in the making here." Beagle said to Penny, who stood next to him and the rest of the squad as they observed the ritual.

" _I know! It's pretty exciting!_ "

"Yeah… so long as we don't end up dead."

In a calm, confident motion, Ren reached out and put a hand on Annette's left shoulder.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality."

Blake added her hand to Ren's and continued, "Through this, we become a paragon…"

Pyrrha gently touched her hand to Annette's back, just below her neck, after Blake, "… of virtue and glory…"

Weiss brought her fingers to delicately rest next to Pyrrha's, "… to rise above all."

Nora placed her palm on Annette opposite of Weiss's, "Infinite in distance…"

Yang's hand joined Nora's on the right shoulder blade, "… and unbound by death."

Jaune reached out and gripped the shoulder above Yang's hand, "I release your soul."

Like the final piece of a puzzle, Ruby lowered her hand next to Jaune's "And by my shoulder protect thee."

The combined energy of all eight hunters flowed into Annette, and a light blue glow began to emanate from the young operative's skin. A purple hue began to force it's way across the colored sea on Annette's back, and she winced in pain as the elements of her psyche and soul clashed with one another. Still, her friends marshaled their strength and willpower to wrestle the diametrically opposed forces into submission and cooperation. Before long, the writhing colors surrounding Annette settled and became a unified shade of indigo.

"Now, Annette," Ren said, eyes still focused and hand still holding his friend's shoulder, "The device."

The Major nodded and held her hands out to encompass the Ethereal device for a second time. She felt power surging towards her hands, though not like she was accustomed to. Annette couldn't explain it, couldn't identify where the power was coming from. Her body felt light as energy just… appeared in her hands, and a strange sensation tugged at her gut. Was this her soul? The hands on her back felt warm, and Annette felt her new source of power, wherever it was, flourish in the same way that her Vortex armor aided her psionics.

Bolstered by her newfound power, Annette began the process of exerting control over the Ethereal device. She drew in a sharp breath as her essence made first contact with the ship's rapidly deteriorating leylines, as the pain felt akin to placing her hand over a roaring flame. A small whimper escaped her lips before Annette could reign it in, but her resolve stood firm in the face of such chaotic pain. Little by little, she calmed the psionic storm seeking to break free from its prison. While the pain still burned like fire in her hands, the voices in her head brought comfort and solace, steeling her emotions to the powers arrayed against her.

 _Go get 'em, tiger!_

 _You were born to do this, Major._

 _You have the power, friend._

 _I believe in you, Annette._

Such words of encouragement bolstered Annette's strength in the face of her colossal task. Not only did she appreciate them all, but the spirit of each persona that spoke touched Annette's soul, coloring the words in a way that allowed the Major to feel a unique connection to all eight hunters pouring their faith into her ability to accomplish the monumental feat set before her.

Annette let her Aura burn with confidence, and noticed her psyche felt faint in the wake of such a powerful force. The newly-anointed huntress let her soul sally forth and do what felt right. Rather than attack the device with brute force, her spirit sang to the tempest, coaxing it to be calm of its own free will. Annette felt like water, flowing around the energy and slowly snuffing out the rage within through compassion. As the device continued to lash out at her, to burn her with its power, she responded by standing firm against the tide, stifling the assault by enduring its transient nature. Before long, the device grew calm in the face of Annette's unending tranquility.

"It's allowing me to see within." She reported, and Annette soon felt one with the ship. She witnessed its pain as it tore itself apart and quickly understood what needed to be done. Again, she poured more of her energy into the device, fully cognizant of the strain the hunters felt as they sacrificed their very souls so that she may complete her mission.

Her conscience flowed through the psionic conduits of the ship, repairing vortexes in the elerium plants and calming the drive core as the gargantuan engine drove itself into a panic in the absence of guidance from the Ethereals. Her spirit surged through the forces of the ship, like a beacon of light uniting all the working parts to operate as a cohesive machine once more. The shuddering stopped, the ocean grew calm, and Annette opened her eyes.

"It is done."

* * *

A/N: Man, it feels weird to be basically done with this story. Like, it's been my constant companion for the better part of a year. I'll have so much _time_ to do stuff after next week's epilogue is all done and posted.

In all seriousness, though. Writing this story has been one of the most exciting things I've done in recent memory. Thank you all for enjoying the ride with me.


	40. Epilogue

A/N: So, I had some trouble fitting my head through doorways this past week after all of your _wonderful_ flooded my inbox. Seriously, it's an awesome feeling knowing that so many people enjoyed reading my work as much as I did writing it.

Regarding the epilogue, the word count on this thing kinda slipped away from me somehow. I figured it'd only be 4000 words or so, and then it just... doubled. Anyway, it's probably a bit rough around the edges since my editor and I were a little too busy to give it a solid editorial pass, but I think that actually fits with the chapter's theme: kicking back and relaxing for some good-natured fun after the hard stuff is over.

* * *

"Guys, hurry up! Bradford's waiting for us!"

"Sorry! Nora almost burned down the barracks while wrapping her gift. She apparently thought that lighting the wrapping paper on fire would 'enhance the presentation.' "

"I didn't hear you telling me I'm wrong, Pyrrha!"

Weiss sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Yeah, well… I doubt she could've made the barracks look any worse compared to what the aliens did to them. C'mon, let's go. And put these on. Ruby wants us all to wear them for the exchange."

JNPR took the proffered hats from Weiss and followed her out of the barracks hall and towards Mission Control. Even months after the war came to its dramatic conclusion, the place still looked like a mess. Jaune picked his way around piles of scrap metal and boxes stacked to the ceiling. Shen's engineering crews repaired the damages enough to make the anthill livable, but they had other priorities that required their attention once they finished literally putting out all the fires at HQ.

After all, an alien mothership doesn't exactly fly itself.

"Hey Weiss, do you know if Annette managed to get permission for time off the ship to come down for our little event?" Jaune asked.

"I think so." Weiss answered, "That's what Ruby said, anyway. If anything, she probably could just park the ship somewhere and turn it off for a bit so that the technicians can safely poke around inside."

After Annette managed to stabilize the ship, Bradford quickly learned that XCOM's latest piece of 'salvage' was a double-edged sword. Even though the amount of resources gained from the completely intact ship was _staggering_ , its acquisition also landed Bradford in the middle of the largest political headache of his career. Almost overnight, the nations of Earth went from lauding XCOM as 'humanity's first, last, and only line of defense,' to demanding heavy regulations and restrictions be placed on the paramilitary group to 'ensure the safety of mankind.' Evidently, the leaders of the world forgot just how much Bradford's organization sacrificed to save the Earth, because they were now afraid he'd be the one to start pointing the damn ship's guns at his fellow man. The only thing still keeping the world's governments off his back was the fact that Bradford had begun to use XCOM's resources and strike teams to hunt down reported Grimm appearances while Vahlen continued to develop a more permanent solution. Ruby offered to help Bradford with the politics and paperwork, but her friend was adamant that his guests from Remnant take some time to enjoy Earth's peacetime luxuries while research continued on the Hyperwave Relay.

During this entire ordeal, Bradford needed Annette to remain on the ship and pilot it while he wrangled with the politicians about what to actually do with regards to the giant hunk of metal. Nobody else's psychic aptitude came even close to Annette's, and so she had to remain permanently on site to ensure no future catastrophic failures could occur. Fortunately, the ship didn't require guidance twenty-four hours a day. The abrupt, violent severance of the Uber Ethereal's link to the ship is what ignited the engine core's failure, rather than a momentary lapse of a pilot at the metaphorical helm. As a result, the Major had plenty of time to rest and explore the ship at her leisure while XCOM's engineers and scientists came aboard to study the mechanical marvel and set up shop. For the most part, she kept the ship cloaked so that it remained out of sight (and ideally out of mind) for the people down below.

"So why did the Brad Man want to meet up at the anthill?" Nora asked as she cheerfully skipped along with a wrapped box strapped to her back, "Couldn't we just do this on his awesome, super-secret flying spaceship?"

Pyrrha giggled, "If I had to guess, the Central Officer is a sentimental man. We've made far more memories in this base than on the Temple Ship, and so for a sentimental holiday…"

"That, and there _is_ a skeleton crew that still runs the base." Weiss added, "He wants to make sure that they don't feel forgotten, because they're still doing very important work down here."

The five hunters reached Mission Control, and Jaune stood there in shock. The place looked nothing like it used to, what with all the lights, ribbons, and ornaments streaming across the room. A giant holographic tree lazily rotated in place of the hologlobe, and a particularly enterprising engineer rigged up a few devices to spit little bits of foam high into the air and give the impression of snow falling on all of the room's cheerful occupants. A table full of food stood against the back wall, and base technicians and operatives stood around chatting idly and enjoying some holiday refreshments.

"Ruby!" Nora shouted upon spotting her friend, and the rest of JNPR could only watch as the surprised Captain caught a face full of Nora as the energetic red-head tackled her into a hug. Yang immediately took the opportunity to turn it into a group hug.

"Hey, Nora!" Ruby greeted as she feebly tried to return the hug, "Did you and - _ooph!_ \- Ren enjoy China?"

"Yup! Ren enjoyed all the boring stuff like meditating at monasteries and temples while went off and explored all the cool stuff!" She whispered conspiratorially into Ruby's ear, "Their big ol' wall is a really fun way to practice climbing."

"I'm surprised that you didn't get caught." Blake commented with a hint of amusement.

"Oh she did." Ren answered nonchalantly, "But Sergeant Gao offered to accompany us and act as a tour guide of sorts, and he was rather… proficient at convincing the local police that detaining Nora wasn't worth their time.

Yang snickered, "I'll bet it was something along the lines of 'people like us have ways of making people like you disappear.'" Before Ren could open his mouth to protest, Yang turned to Pyrrha, mischief still shining in her eyes, "Soooooo Pyrrha. How was the Mediterranean cruise with our resident knight? Everything you thought it would be?" She added, waggling her eyebrows.

Pyrrha smiled, pretending to be oblivious to Yang's overtones, "Oh yes! I have to admit, I didn't quite believe everyone at XCOM who said my attire reminded them of the Greeks and Romans of old, but I couldn't deny it once I saw the sculptures and ruins for myself. It really was quite fascinating."

"And the food tasted a lot like the home-cooked Mistrali cuisine that Pyrrha sometimes makes for our team when she's in a particularly good mood." Jaune added, "I wouldn't mind spending more time over there someday."

"You guys are no fun." Yang sighed.

The group continued to talk about their respective vacations that occupied their time over the last three months. Annette demanded that Ruby and Weiss go with her on a trip to France as their first tour of what Earth had to offer, so the partners had little choice but to stay with the Major on the Temple Ship and visit her homeland for a month before deciding where else they wanted to go and explore. The other hunters had similar offers from other operatives and technicians eager to show off their own culturally-rich nations to the heroes from Remnant. MacAuley took Jaune and Pyrrha to Ireland while Beagle happily played host to Nora and Ren in Australia. Blake gave in to peer pressure from the technicians at the anthill (and Yang) and agreed to visit Japan.

"You weren't kidding when you said she'd be popular there." Yang said, "Blake wanted to keep a low profile, so we kept her ears under wraps, but I'm positive she could have gotten us free drinks literally everywhere we went."

"Which is why I didn't want to do it." Blake added with an eyeroll, "I wanted to see these countries as they really are. Locals will only show VIPs what _they_ believe to be the 'best' they have to offer, which isn't necessarily in line with what _I_ think is the correct answer to that question."

"Spoil sport." Yang said, though her smile indicated that she still had a blast traveling with her partner.

The music gently playing in the background stopped, and the sound of Bradford clearing his voice caused everyone to turn their heads to see the man standing on his usual podium in front of the Holotree. He wore his familiar attire, though a Santa hat covered his clean-shaven hair. Bradford tapped the microphone he held in his hand to ensure that it worked before he began to speak.

"Now that we're all here, I thought I might say a few words before you all get back to your own conversations and gatherings." He glanced around at all the faces waiting expectantly for him to continue, "First, let me say that I am immensely grateful for your continued dedication to the XCOM project. Though the war is over, there is still a great deal of work that needs to be done. Even if the politicians of the world may not appreciate your efforts, know that there are far more people who do.

"Second, seeing as it is four days until Christmas, I don't want to see a single soul still working at the anthill come tomorrow morning. This is our first real holiday since the aliens attacked, and it's about time that you people start cashing in on your well-deserved vacation days." Laughter rippled through the audience, "But seriously, there is a sheet on the table in the back next to the punch, and I want all of you to sign in and list where you'd like to get dropped off for the end-of-year festivities. Even if you have no family you'd like to visit, think of someplace you've always wanted to go. I will work with Major Durand, and we'll get you all transported to your destinations via Temple Ship by no later than the 23rd."

A small applause broke out, and Bradford patiently waited for the noise to die down once more, "Look around you. Each and every one of you here tonight served a vital role in the defense of Earth. Nobody can ever take that away from you, and I am honored to have had the opportunity to get to know you all over the past two years. While the invasion was an absolute tragedy, humanity rose up to the challenge and succeeded in spite of the odds. We will remember those who are no longer with us so that we may be with our loved ones this season, but we will also honor them by continuing to move forward as a unified species and striving to be a positive force on this little blue and green rock that we call our home. Happy holidays everyone. I look forward to seeing you all in the new year."

"A toast to Bradford!" Van Doorn's voice boomed across the room, "To the man with the plan, who never stopped believing in us. May his green sweater vest never fade."

An amused cheer rippled across the guests, who all raised their cups to the Field Commander's toast. The music returned shortly thereafter, and everyone resumed their previous conversations before Bradford's little speech. Ruby waved as the Central Officer walked over to the group of hunters.

"Bradford! It's good to see you again!"

Bradford gave Ruby a pat on the head and returned her smile, "You too, kiddo. Glad you all could make it."

Yang snorted, "As if anything could stop us from coming. Especially when you decided to make an event out of it by suggesting a gift exchange. When's that going down, by the way?"

"Once the party's died down a little bit, and once Annette is able to arrive. She's double-checking to make sure the ship won't combust on its own if she leaves it for five minutes." Bradford joked, "But it should only be an hour or two before she's all done. In the meantime, why don't we grab some food and have a seat in the conference room? You've probably talked to each other about the past three months, but I'd love to hear about it myself."

* * *

"… So imagine my surprise when I find out that, while I feel right at home on a boat, Pyrrha has to spend most of her time with a small bucket in her lap." Jaune chuckled, "It was my turn to pay her back for all of the comforting neck rubs she gave me during our rides on the Skyranger."

"'She' is sitting right next to you, Jaune." Pyrrha said glumly, "I still feel awful knowing that I ruined the part of the trip you were looking forward to the most."

"If I had to guess, Pyrrha, just cruising the Grecian islands with you was more than enough to make the trip everything Jaune wanted." Bradford said, hiding a smirk as his comment elicited a look of embarrassment from the two partners.

A knock on the door spared the two hunters from further humiliation, and a familiar face peeked into the room.

"Annette!" Ruby exclaimed, "You made it!"

"I did." The operative answered with a smile.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Ruby asked crossly, tapping a finger to her head.

Annette laughed, "Because that would spoil the surprise." She nodded at Bradford, "I've also brought Vahlen and Shen with me. How's the party so far?"

"Better now that you're all here. Shall I round up the rest?" Bradford asked.

Van Doorn entered the room behind Annette,"Already done, sir." He looked completely ridiculous wearing a bright red onesie, a red Santa hat, and a fake beard while carrying a red velvet sack slung over his shoulder.

"Santa's here!" Ruby cried, "Man, you guys have the best holidays on Earth. I wish we had an excuse for an old man to run around throwing presents at kids."

"And I suppose in your version of Christmas, all the kids have to wear a full set of hockey pads to avoid getting knocked the fuck out by St. Nick?" Beagle asked as he stepped in after van Doorn, followed by the two lead scientists, MacAuley, and Penny in her HoverSHIV chassis.

"Well, that's everyone." Bradford observed, "Shall we get started?"

Annette sat down and rubbed her hands together with excitement, "Lets! I've been stuck on that damn ship for too long without spending any quality time with you guys, so let's get to it."

The rest of the newcomers took seats around the table while 'Santa' started pulling out packages and handing them to their respective recipients (or propping them against the wall if the gift was too big to lay on the table). Weiss talked animatedly with Vahlen while van Doorn worked and Ruby did the same with Shen. Beagle, MacAuley, and Jaune started conspiring about… _something_ in their corner of the room.

"I hope you've been remembering to take occasional breaks from your work, Doctor." Weiss asked Vahlen.

"Yes, but there's much to be gained from the craft's databases, and a shocking amount of information regarding the Grimm. From what my team has been able to translate so far, there's a direct connection between the strength of the Grimm's essence and the soul force of its host. I've managed to run a few early tests that corroborate this, and it seems that the weaker the soul of the base biological matter, the stronger the resultant Grimm becomes. A minimum level of sustenance is required for the Grimm, of course, but anything stronger, and the energy attempts to repel the parasitic invader. When I cross-referenced this with some of my prior-"

"Doctor, this is not the answer I was hoping for." Weiss said with a sigh.

"So how much cool tech have you found on the Temple Ship? Anything that I can play with? How does something that big stay in the air? Oh, and the cloaking! Is it like what we did with the Shadow Armor?"

"Lots, some, not sure yet, and not sure yet." Shen answered with a laugh, "It's good to see you too, Ruby."

"Hello Penny." Pyrrha greeted cheerfully, "Have you been enjoying yourself acting as Annette's Second-in-Command and Robotic Liaison?"

" _Hello, Pyrrha! Yes, I'm having a great time assisting Major Durand and keeping Gidjit company. He has proved to be a useful addition to the crew of the Temple Ship, and I think Dr. Shen wouldn't mind me saying that much of what we've learned about the ship's tech has been thanks to Gidjit's ability to access the alien databases and ship logs._ "

Pyrrha smiled, "That sounds wonderful. I'm glad you've been enjoying yourself."

" _Indeed! It would have been nice to join in on some of your travels, but I don't have a humanoid hardware frame here like I do on Remnant, and a SHIV would raise too many questions in public._ "

"You'll get the chance someday, Penny."

"Alright, everyone!" Bradford said, cutting off all the small talk, "Van Doorn has finished passing out the gifts, so I think it's time for us to begin. If you don't mind, I have a small favor to ask: I would like for our friends from Remnant to save their gifts for last. I'll explain why when we get to that point, but for now… who would like to go first?"

"I would like Dr. Vahlen to go first." Pyrrha announced, "The eight of us agreed that the fairest way to determine who got each gift was to randomly assign them."

"So basically you used the Secret Santa method." Beagle observed.

Pyrrha gave the Colonel a confused look, "I… suppose? In any case, I was chosen as Vahlen's gift giver. Doctor?"

Vahlen smiled at Pyrrha before she turned her attention to the carefully-wrapped box in front of her. With surgical precision, she undid the wrapping, cut open the cardboard box within, and found herself holding a pair of ice skates.

"I had Blake covertly determine your shoe size for me." Pyrrha admitted, "But I picked them up while Jaune and I visited Canada."

"The land of your people: excessively polite and always happy to give an apology where none is needed." Beagle commented.

Pyrrha blinked, "I'm sorry?"

The huntresses unintentional response elicited a chuckle from most of the XCOM staff, though Pyrrha noticed that Vahlen's attention remained completely transfixed on the skates, "… Do you like them? The gentleman who helped us assured me that these were the best skates for a beginner, so I-"

"They're wonderful." Vahlen said, finally pulling her eyes away from the gift to look at Pyrrha, "Thank you."

After Vahlen spent a few more moments examining her new footwear, she remembered that there were still a lot of gifts to get through, "Ray? Would you like to go next?"

Dr. Shen nodded and grabbed the box in front of him, holding his ear up to the wrapping and giving it a shake, "Hmm… it's not too heavy. Feels like an aluminum tin, but I can't figure out what's inside."

Quickly admitting defeat, he unwrapped the box and pulled the lid off of the tin. After taking an initial glance at the contents, a wide grin spread across his face, "Which one of you was the thoughtful soul who gave me a box full of tea leaves?"

Blake raised her hand, "That would be me. While Yang was busy sampling all of the international alcohol wherever we went, I made a point of building a personal supply of tea." She gestured towards the tin in Shen's hands, "You can imagine my amusement when I was selected to be your…" Blake glanced at Beagle, "Secret Santa."

"Well if you ever find yourself aboard the Temple Ship, Miss Belladonna, feel free to stop by my office and share a cup with me." He looked over all the different flavors Blake managed to pack into the container, "I know I've always said I'm a Jasmine man, but some of these flavors… well, they might be giving my go-to flavor a run for its money."

"Beags?" Bradford said, glancing at the Captain, "Want to go next?"

Beagle shrugged, pulled his legs off the table, and picked up his gift. Unlike the first two, it was small enough for him to easily grab in one hand, and he turned it around curiously in his hand, "Well, experience has taught me that unless you're talking about rockets, size isn't everything. Call me optimistic, but I got a good feeling about this one."

He unwrapped the gift and pulled out a small bag that contained a pair of aviators, "Alright who-" He looked up to see Yang, her feet kicked up on the table and a matching pair of sunglasses resting neatly on the bridge of her nose.

Beagle nodded, put his new shades on, and assumed a matching position, "Fuck. Yeah." Without breaking eye contact with Yang, he nudged MacAuley sitting next to him, "You're up, buddy."

MacAuley nodded and opened up his gift, revealing a deck of cards. Upon closer inspection, he noticed something peculiar about the deck..

"Tarot cards?" He asked, looking around in mild confusion, "Who the fuck takes me for a superstitious fortune teller?"

"Well, not a superstitious fortune teller, per se…" Jaune said, "But a damn good story teller. My family had a deck like this back on Remnant, and my sisters and I would sit around in a circle and use them to invent a fictional story. We'd take turns drawing cards and use the content of our draw to build upon what was already said."

He grabbed the deck form MacAuley and pulled out the cards, flipping through the various pictures and words on them, "I was pretty surprised when Pyrrha and I found a shop that sold these. A lot of the cards are different from what I'm used to, but the idea looks like it's pretty well intact." Jaune handed the cards back to MacAuley with a smile, "You're a pretty good storyteller, Mac. I wanted to get you something that complemented that."

"Thanks, buddy." MacAuley shared a fist bump with Jaune, before turning back to the rest of the group, "Alright, who's next?"

"I'll go." Van Doorn, volunteered, picking up the biggest package in the room and placing it on the table in front of him, "I've been wondering about this one ever since I pulled it out of the sack."

"Well, I saw Nora carrying it on her way over from the barracks, so I'd be careful when opening it." Weiss warned.

The Field Commander chuckled before nodding, "Noted. Now let's see what the fuss is all abou-…. Whoa."

He pulled away the wrapping paper to reveal a very large rocket, the body of which boasted an extremely vibrant red, white, and blue design with the words "THE DOORNINATOR" stamped along the length. Van Doorn poked a small mechanism towards the nose, and several hatches slid open to reveal tube slots that looked like they were each designed to house a shotgun slug.

"My first guess for this would have been Miss Xiao Long, but seeing as she already gave Beagle a pair of sweet shades, I can only assume it was-"

Maniacal laughter cut off the Field Commander as Nora leapt up on her chair, hands on her hips with her head thrown back, "You expected a gift from RWBY's resident pyro…" She grinned at van Doorn and jerked a thumb at her chest, "BUT IT WAS ME, NORA."

She jumped off and appeared behind van Doorn, her hand on his shoulder, "Behold, The Doorninator! A delivery rocket designed to send specially-manufactured Dust high into the sky before detonating its payload in a magnificent display of heroism and wonder suitable for XCOM's one and only Field Commander!" She waved her hand dramatically before their faces, "All who gaze upon the Doorninator can't help but be struck by a sense of patriotism and pride as they are reminded what it is to be a member of the human race! Vibrant colors of red, green, and orange will light up the night's sky while you, the hero of the people, stand before them: a beacon of hope against all that is evil in the universe!"

"It's also worth mentioning that the rocket is reusable." Ren added, "So all you'll need is a fresh set of Dust cartridges, and you're good to go for another display."

"Renny!" Nora whined, "I was gonna get to thaaaaaat. I just had to finish my dramatic introduction first!"

"And what a fantastic introduction it was." Van Doorn mused, "I feel inspired already. Thank you, Nora. We can talk later about the rocket's specifics, and then send it off on its maiden voyage later tonight." He set the rocket on the floor next to his seat, "For now, we should carry on. Major?"

Without any fuss, Annette unwrapped the small box sitting in front of her to reveal a small display case. On a velvet cloth behind the glass lay a necklace with a pair of entwined, purple circles attached to the end of the gold chain. A look of surprise washed over her face as Annette opened the box and lifted the necklace off of its stand.

"Alright, so the suspects have been narrowed down to Ruby, Weiss, and Ren, so I wanna which one of you-"

"That would be me." Ren answered, a proud smile crossing his lips, "Three months ago, we unlocked your Aura. Without _any_ time to learn how to properly wield it, you managed to channel your newfound force into the Temple Ship and save us all. Couple that with your years of combat training under XCOM, and I think it's safe to say that you're as much a huntress as Nora or Pyrrha.

"One of the most important aspects of society on Remnant is expression." Ren continued, "For example, you may have noticed that all of our names related to a color in some way."

"It… hadn't escaped our notice." Bradford admitted with a smile.

"Another form of expression that is more notable among hunters is a personal symbol. Things like Ruby's red rose, Yang's burning heart, and my pink lotus. I thought that, now you are a huntress as well, it's only fitting that you have a personal symbol of your own." He gestured towards the necklace that Annette still held aloft, "I did my best to come up with a suitable design, and I thought the duality of your psionic and Auric powers would be a good idea.

"Of course, it is a _personal_ symbol, so it would be presumptuous to assume that you would accept this design without question. I made an agreement with the jeweler that crafted the necklace for me, and you have the opportunity to exchange the necklace you are holding for a new one with a design that you feel speaks to you on a deeper level."

"No." Annette answered, "This… this is fantastic. Perfect." She did the clasp in the back and put the necklace on, "Thanks, Ren."

"My pleasure." The young hunter said with a nod before turning to the Central Officer, "Bradford? I believe you're the last one."

Bradford adopted the Dr. Shen method of divination, lifting the package to assess its weight and dimensions in an effort to guess its contents before unwrapping, "Hmmmmm. It feels pretty light, and it's also small. I think it's in a box, though, so it's hard to tell what it is exactly."

"Then why don't you open the damn thing?" Weiss asked with an eye roll.

Bradford cast a sidelong glance at the huntress, "Oh? Someone's impatient for me to open their gift it seems."

"Bradford…"

The Central Officer sighed, "Fiiiiiiiine." He unwrapped the gift and lifted up an ornate pocket watch strung on a metallic chain, "Oh wow."

"I had some help from Ruby with the design." Weiss admitted, "And we may have… ah… _borrowed_ some alien alloys for the chain, but I think you'll like it."

"I like it already." Bradford commented as he set the watch to the match the time on his chronometer.

"Of course, it wouldn't be a gift from Weiss if she didn't add a little something extra." Ruby teased, "Try pressing down on that little knob at the top there."

Bradford did as he was told, and a deep thrum preceded the strange sensation of the whole world slowing around him. He let go of the knob in surprise, and time snapped back to its usual flow. The shock registering on his face told Ruby everything she needed to know, "Pretty cool, huh?"

"What…? How…?"

"Expensively is how. I don't recommend playing with that function willy nilly." Weiss answered, "But the answer to your question is 'a lot of trial and error.' For the man who saved the planet, though? Totally worth it."

Bradford stared at the pocket watch, "This is a very unique gift." He looked up at the two huntresses and smiled, "I'm guessing this is a joint gift from both of you?"

"Yeah." Ruby said, and Bradford noticed that she looked a little bummed, "There's eight of us and only seven of you… I drew the short straw, and tagged along with Weiss instead."

Weiss rolled her eyes, "If I recall, you were ecstatic at the prospect of working with me to find a gift for Bradford. Am I not good enough for you or something?"

"No! No no no, that's not it at all!" Ruby squeaked, waving her hands as if she could blow away Weiss's accusation, "It's just that it seems kind've unfair that they had to get eight gifts and we had to get seven is all."

"Speaking of the eight gifts we had to get..." Bradford said with a wink.

Bradford's save brought a smile to Ruby's face as he preemptively cut off the quarrel between the two huntresses. He nodded to van Doorn, who got up and pulled out the second round of gifts from his Santa sack. As he passed out the wrapped gifts, the Central Officer continued to speak, "Now, you guys may have gone with a Secret Santa method of determining who gave out what, but… we sorta cheated on our end and collaborated on everything."

"… and then asked the two scientists to do all the heavy lifting." Shen added with a chuckle.

"Well, yes…" Bradford admitted, "But there's a good reason for that." He glanced at the rest of the Earth operatives, "Should we go with JNPR or RWBY first?"

Beagle jerked a thumb at Jaune, "JNPR. I wanna see the look on this doofus's face when he opens his gift."

Bradford shrugged, "Works for me. Jaune?"

The youngest Arc glanced warily at Beagle before looking down at the gift in front of him. Rather than leaving his friends hanging in suspense, he set to work tearing away the gift wrapping. When he saw the package's contents, his jaw dropped.

"This is my armor…" He looked at Beagle and saw his friend wearing the biggest shit-eating grin, "What did you attach to my armor?"

"Aww c'mon, kid. You telling me you've never seen a jetpack before?" Beagle laughed.

Jaune turned to look at Dr. Shen, who confirmed Beagle's claim with a nod, "It's modified from our Archangel technology. Beagle, Annette, and the Field Commander all noticed you have a penchant for getting magnetically thrown around the room by your partner." The Chief Engineer smirked when he saw Jaune and Pyrrha trade glances, "These jump jets output a high volume of thrust in the span of a second or two, which should achieve the same effect."

"You're basically an Assault Marine." Beagle explained, "All you need to do now is to attach a chainsaw to your sword, paint your armor blue, and constantly scream about your unwavering loyalty for the Emperor of Mankind."

Jaune stared at his modified armor for another minute before he remembered how to speak, "I'm gonna have to spend some time practicing with these, I think…"

Vahlen cleared her throat, "It should be noted that one of my side projects I have running is finding a way to utilize your Aura as a power source for hardware such as your new jump jets. I haven't quite figured it out yet, but I'd be happy to modify your gift once I crack the code. I assume that having a replenishing supply of energy to power your flight would be preferable to relying on a finite quantity of Elerium fuel."

Bradford nodded, "Indeed, and that statement actually applies to _several_ gifts we have, but in the meantime… Nora?"

With Jaune's gift setting the tone, Nora grinned with anticipation before tearing into her package. Amidst a flurry of ripped wrapping paper, Nora held up her beloved hammer.

"Magnhild!" She cried happily as she looked it over, "Aaaaaaand it's got a big doo-hickey on top."

Dr. Shen chuckled, "That 'doo-hickey' is a modified Kinetic Strike Module, Nora. We noticed that you frequently make… creative use of your grenades to enhance your mobility in combat, but the orientation of the launcher prevents it from acting as an effective force multiplier when you want to actually swing Magnhild at a target."

"So we built a smaller-scale module similar to the ones you've seen employed by our MECs." Vahlen explained, pointed to a small trigger on the hammer's shaft, "Pull this, and it will ignite the Elerium boosters at the top to add a bit of an extra kick when you decide to drop the hammer."

Nora flashed her trademark 'I'm thinking sadistic thoughts right now, and I don't care if people judge me for it' grin, "Perfect…"

"Trying to adapt Aura as a power source for the strike module will likely be… trickier compared to some of the other tech we developed. Still, we'll see what we can do, and Elerium remains as an effective power source in the meantime." Shen added.

"Alright, Pyrrha." Jaune said, hoping to calm Nora down by steering the focus away from her new toy, "Looks like you're up."

With much more grace and poise than her fellow huntress, Pyrrha unwrapped her gift to reveal two small pieces of hardware: a transparent eyepiece and a dome-shaped camera.

"I'm rather proud of this one." Vahlen said, "We managed to strip down the Tactical Sensors we built for our MEC pilots and fit basic functionality into a monocular visor. When powered on, it will allow you to 'tag' a target by lining it up with the visor's crosshairs and blinking. At that point, the sensor will highlight and track the target -as well as any others you decide to tag- and keep you appraised of its location on the battlefield."

Dr. Shen gestured towards the camera, "That will allow the sensor to continue to track any tagged targets that move outside of your visual field. Generally, it's mounted to the shoulder or back, though it's ultimately up to you to know your personal blindspots and where it should be attached to compensate."

"Well that certainly sounds useful." Pyrrha commented as she attempted to put on the visor, "Is there a way to program it to use a different tagging trigger? I understand that blinking is convenient because it takes little effort, but perhaps a mechanical trigger would be better."

Vahlen nodded, "Certainly. If you believe the blinking trigger is ill-suited to your style of combat, we can develop an alternative method that better fits your needs."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea. I can get working on the designs by tomorrow." Pyrrha answered with a smile.

Ren watched as all eyes turned to him, waiting for the next gift to be revealed. He obliged, and found himself staring at his weapons. Like Jaune's armor, however, they had a noticeable modification in the form of a dull gray insulated box located below the front end of the trigger guard.

"We had a tough time working on yours, given how… compact the design of StormFlower is." Shen said with a chuckle, "But I think it turned out alright."

Ren examined the small muzzle protruding beyond the sharp daggers attached to his pistols, "It looks like you modified my weapons to give them the functionality of an Arc Thrower." He looked at Dr. Vahlen, "I assume this is another project you hope to have running on Aura in the near future."

The Chief Scientist nodded, "Correct. Our current iteration of throwers only have a few charges before they burn out, so having a hunter that can pour his soul force into keeping the hardware powered would be an impressive breakthrough. Considering that you're one of the more skilled Aura practitioners we know, and the fact that your partner is literally an electric capacitor…"

"I'm the most ideal candidate to test out the prototype." Ren finished, "How do I activate the Arc functionality?"

"There's a small button on the handle." Vahlen explained, "Press it, and the trigger will discharge the thrower rather than fire a bullet."

After watching Ren examine his weapons for a few more seconds, Ruby began to fidget uncomfortably, "Soooooooo is it our turn yet?" she asked, trying (and failing) to keep the anticipation out of her voice, "Because while I don't want to be rude, I also kinda want it to be our turn."

"Alright, alright." Bradford chuckled, "I think Ren's all done, Ruby. Go on ahead."

With almost as much ferocity as Nora, Ruby tore into her package. When a large, red cape fell out, her eyes grew wide, "Whoa…"

"Vahlen assigned a team to co-opting alien materials into woven fabrics as an additional layer of defense for our soldiers." Bradford said, "This is the first piece I requisitioned after the researchers reported positive results. The material is a little stiffer than what you normally wear, but it's offers a lot more protection at the same time. You should open it up."

Ruby unfolded the cape and saw XCOM's emblem sewn into the center, complete with the words 'VIGILO CONFIDO' along the top. However, while the XCOM insignia usually contained an x-shape superimposed on the top of the globe, Ruby's saw her rose symbol carefully stitched insead.

"You and your friends will always be a part of XCOM as far as we're concerned." Bradford said gently, "There's more, though."

When Ruby shook the cape to finish unfurling it, she felt a small metallic object drop into her lap. The young huntress looked down and froze, her eyes locking onto the familiar shape of Zhang's handgun. Carefully, she laid down her cape and picked up Aureate Mercy. Ruby felt her throat get tight as she turned the weapon over in her hands. Eyes shining, she looked up to see everyone at the table smiling back at her.

"I'm not gonna cry…" She whispered to herself, "I'm not gonna cry…" She glanced at Bradford before looking back down at the pistol of her friend. She drew in a shaky breath and barely choked out, "Thank you."

"Of all the people at XCOM, I can't think of one more deserving to carry that weapon than you, Captain Rose." The Central Officer answered before turning to Weiss, "Alright, kiddo. Before your partner bursts into a bubbling mess, let's keep this rolling."

Weiss sized up her gift before unwrapping it, "Bulky, but not heavy. Interesting…" She slowly pulled apart the wrapping paper, opened up the subsequent box, and started pulling out sheafs of paper.

"So everyone else is getting combat upgrades while I get scribbled notes?" Weiss joked, "I feel so _appreciated_."

"You might want to look at the contents of the notes and see if you change your mind about that." Bradford smiled.

With a melodramatic sigh, Weiss skimmed through the papers in her hand. Within a few seconds, her eyes widened, and she checked the box again. Along with a few more pages of notes, Weiss pulled out several vials of Dust and a USB stick. Mouth agape, she looked at XCOM's Chief Scientist.

"Vahlen, I…"

"The research into synthetic and modified Dust was as much a product of your hard work and effort as it was mine. I remember you talking about how you hoped that it would be something you could show to your father as a means of proving your worth. While I think you shouldn't have to prove anything in the first place, I couldn't think of a more appropriate gift for you."

Weiss shook her head, still looking through the notes, "I can't think of one, either. This is an amazing gift. Thank you, Doctor."

As Weiss continued to get lost in Vahlen's notes, Dr. Shen turned to the third member of RWBY, "Blake? It's time to pay you back for the wonderful collection of tea you gave me."

Blake quietly opened her gift. Similar to Jaune, Blake found her usual combat outfit neatly folded beneath the wrapping paper.

"It's slightly bulkier than before." The huntress noted as she unfolded the shirt and examined it, "You've added some tech around the neckline and along the back."

Vahlen nodded, "Correct. We've integrated the Shadow Armor's technology into your hunter's outfit so that you may continue to use the technology without the necessity of the bulky armor hindering your movement."

"It's not a perfect cloak, since a lot of that 'bulky armor' was important to the suit's operation." Shen added, "But we believe it's enough to help a master of shadows such as yourself become even more impossible to catch, And like Jaune, we hope to give you the option of using your Aura to power the cloak in the future."

"I'm certain I will be impressed by its performance either way." Blake said with a small smile, "As I always am when it comes to your tech." She looked at Yang, who still had her legs kicked up on the table, and gave her a nudge, "Your turn."

Yang unfolded her hands from behind her head and picked up her gift with a grin, "I know my babies when I see them. What did you guys cook up for Ember Celica?"

Bradford shrugged innocently, "I dunno. Why don't you find out?"

Yang sighed and pulled the paper off of her gauntlets, and her eyes widened with surprise behind her aviators, "Those are… ummm… quite the upgrades."

"From one explosive aficionado to another," Beagle said with a grin, "Merry Christmas, kid."

The front section of the gauntlets remained relatively untouched, though Yang noticed small laser apertures fixed to the forward-facing edge of the metal. Behind the usual ammo belts, however, Yang saw that Vahlen and Shen modified the more ornamental sections of her weapons to each contain a rack of rocket.

"Fly-by-wire Devastator micro-rockets. You can fire them one at a time, or deploy the whole cluster at once. Just stand still, fire up the lasers, and point them at whatever needs to be vaporized. The rockets will handle the rest on their own." Beagle explained.

Bradford coughed politely to get Yang's attention, "Those were the most… ah… resource-intensive gift of the group, so I recommend using them only when the fireworks are _really_ necessary. It's up to you to decide that, of course, but I don't advise using them to see if they'll turn a lone Beowolf into Grimm puree."

Yang saluted, "No worries, Brad. As my uncle Ben once said, with great power comes great responsibility."

"We don't have an uncle Ben." Ruby said.

" _Well that was a lot of fun!_ " Penny piped up, " _Thank you for inviting me to your gift exchange, friends. It means a lot to me._ "

"Wait a minute, Penny. Do you seriously think we'd let you out of here without a gift of your own?" Annette asked with mock indignance, "Perish the thought!"

" _Oh! I wasn't expecting anything, honest! I'm just happy to spend time with my friends._ " Penny said doing her trademark air flip.

"Out of the question." Bradford said, "You're as much a part of this team as any of us. You're getting a gift, and that's the end of it. Shen?"

Dr. Shen nodded, "I should start with the story behind this. Shortly after miss Polendina's arrival at XCOM, I received word from more than one amused operative that 'the new robot' seemed to have taken a liking to hovering next to the lounge's audio center and sitting still for hours doing nothing. Of course, I knew there was more to the story than they realized, so I took a trip to the lounge myself and accessed the audio system's data."

The Chief Engineer watched in amusement as Penny slowly lowered herself to the ground in an attempt to hide, "After only a week at XCOM, our friend here managed to play through the _entire_ audio library twice. As of right now, I believe the grand total is forty-three times."

" _... Your music on Earth is really pretty…_ " Penny mumbled.

Shen produced a small external hard drive and put it on the table, "On that note, this is a storage device that can hold fifty petabytes of data. I have taken the liberty of working with my engineering team to acquire and organize as much of Earth's music as will fit in those fifty petabytes of data."

Immediately, Penny reactivated her Elerium boosters and floated over to Shen with intense curiosity, " _Fifty petabytes?_ "

"More or less." Shen answered, "All the music is indexed so that you can easily browse through the files using a multitude of filters. Hopefully this will keep you occupied longer than the meager offerings of our lounge's selection."

" _... I wish I had arms to hug you with, Doctor._ "

"I can hear the appreciation in your voice, my dear." The engineer replied with a warm smile, "Believe me, that is enough."

Bradford leaned back in his chair, satisfied with the evening's events, "Well, that's that, I suppose."

"That's that." Pyrrha agreed, "Thank you all for the lovely gifts. I'm always humbled by how much you do for us."

"I will say that I noticed a rather… utilitarian theme to all of the gifts." Yang commented with a smirk. "Barring Penny's, of course."

"Well, we knew you'd be throwing yourselves back into the thick of combat once you returned to Remnant. Whether or not the business with the White Fang has been resolved in your absence, there's still the Grimm you have to deal with." Shen answered, "We could have gotten you conventional gifts like posters, clothes, or artwork. But we decided to use our access to… unique resources to provide you with gifts that will serve you in the months and years to come."

Vahlen nodded in affirmation, "Speaking of your return to Remnant, my team is almost done connecting the new Hyperwave Beacon to the Temple Ship's power generators. Initial tests for a reverse portal will likely commence as soon as they return from Bradford's mandatory vacation, and we'll hopefully have you returning to your homeworld in less than a month."

Silence fell across the room as the occupants considered the magnitude of Vahlen's estimations. The huntsmen and huntresses from Remnant had been with XCOM for the last _eight months_. Many of the newer recruits to the project had never even known of an XCOM that didn't include those legendary fighters, and now they were on the verge of the return to Remnant that they absolutely deserved.

"We're gonna definitely miss you guys." Yang said, "It'll be easy to stay in touch, I'm sure, but the whole time dilation bullshit will make things weird."

Beagle snorted, "What a crock of shit." He rested his chin on his hand and grinned at Yang in amusement, "Do you have any idea how many of the guys and gals in the barracks want to chill with you cool cats on Remnant and beat the shit out of some Grimm?" He looked around at his fellow operatives sitting around the table, "I count at least four in this room alone."

"Not to mention the knowledge that could be gained if I had the opportunity to compare notes with the scientists and engineers of your world." Vahlen said with a smile.

"And I do believe that I've been ordered by Captain Rose on multiple occasions to spend some time visiting Remnant, Beacon Academy in particular." Bradford added.

"So you see, Sergeant Xaio Long." Beagle finished, "You're not going to miss us. You're going to wonder how in the world you'll ever convince us to get the hell off your planet."

Yang sighed, "I guess I should've seen that coming."

"You think?" Ruby asked, "Or did you forget about our conversation with van Doorn on the Temple Ship?"

"Point taken."

Bradford clapped his hands, "Well then, sounds like we've got that settled." He peeked his head outside the conference room, "And it looks like there's still some life left in the party. Why don't we join the stragglers and start the holidays off right?"

Ren nodded, "I could go for a little food myself."

"You should try the noodles." Bradford said, "I hear the cook ran out of conventional pasta and started using Sectoid fingers as filler."

"Aaaaaaaand now I've completely lost my appetite." Ren sighed.

Weiss punched Bradford in the shoulder, "You should know better than to violate one of the rules on The List."

Bradford held up his hands in surrender, "What can I say? After years of needing to zealously enforce the rules, I wanted to know what it felt like to break one."

* * *

A/N: Before I say anything else, I want to give a heartfelt thank you my editor, /u/Metaboss84. He stepped in early on and offered to do an editorial pass on my chapters before I posted them, and I can honestly say that I've become a far better writer thanks to his guidance. This story would have been a lot worse off if not for him.

So... there it is. I feel like I managed to tie up most of the important loose ends. Bradford's got his work cut out for him with Earth's new political climate, the hunters of RWBY and JNPR only have another month or so before they can return to Remnant, and their XCOM buddies want to come along for the ride. A couple of plot threads ended up not making the cut (for example, I never found a good place to slip in that Ozpin's letter to Ren was advice about unlocking the Aura of an XCOM operative), but I think I hit all the really big highlights.

A lot of people have asked me in reviews and PMs whether or not I plan to write a sequel. The answer is "Yes, but I need to take a break." After writing for forty weeks (!) on a once-per-week posting cadence, my creative circuits are a little burned out. I was determined to finish everything before stepping back to catch my breath, but now I can spend some time doing other stuff while letting little plot ideas percolate in my head and grow into more concrete threads before I start planning stuff out. Moreover, XCOM 2 drops in a week (!), and I will definitely be spending all of my free time playing that until I beat it a few times. I don't plan on having a sequel along the lines of 'but the aliens came back, and now the events of XCOM 2 are taking place,' but I do want to use the game and its storyline as inspiration for what I have in mind.

So once again, thank you all for joining me on this adventure. It's been a pleasure, and I hope to do it again sometime (relatively) soon.


	41. Piercing the Veil

Dr. Raymond Shen let out a quiet sigh as he walked into the Hyperwave Relay's new home aboard the Temple Ship. The sun hadn't even risen yet, and already he saw Dr. Vahlen elbows-deep in some hardware with a green and black SHIV happily floating behind her. He strongly suspected that his colleague decide to forgo sleep in favor of getting the damn thing up and running as fast as possible, and that Penny was unaware that she needed to be the voice of reason telling Vahlen to get some much-needed rest. The transfer from the Anthill to the Temple Ship happened a little over a week ago, and XCOM's R&D department had been hard at work integrating it into the ship's enormous power reserves since then.

Supplying power to the relay proved simple enough: Shen and Vahlen managed to open up portals that lead from Remnant to Earth with minimal trouble. The real difficulty lay in determining how to provide enough power to safely generate a reverse portal that could send Ruby and her friends back home. Annette managed to narrowly avoided a critical system overload during the first 'outbound' test when she sensed too much power flowing too quickly into the relay and cut power before the chaotic energy caused permanent damage. However, any quantity of power supplied by the ship's pilot that was below the 'critical' threshold failed to support a stable outbound gateway.

"You do realize that if you keep working like this, you'll succumb to sleep deprivation before getting the Hyperwave Relay up and running." Shen commented as he set down his breakfast on a nearby workbench, "And then our Remnant friends really will be stuck. Hello, Penny."

Vahlen waved dismissively at him while her companion greeted Dr. Shen with the usual air flip, "Nonsense. With any luck, we'll have the relay up and running within a couple of hours."

This was news for the elderly engineer, "That so?"

" _Indeed!_ " Penny exclaimed, " _We made a key breakthrough at 4 am-_ "

"Of course." Shen sighed

" _\- wherein we determined the source of the overload!_ " Penny finished, unfazed by Shen's comment.

The Chief Scientist nodded in agreement with Penny's statement, "With the assistance of your night crew…"

" _And Gidjit!_ "

"… Penny and I constructed a few test systems to confirm my suspicions. You're just in time for the first test, actually."

"What did you change?" Shen asked, his curiosity well and truly piqued.

"This first test will determine if rerouting the power through an inductor coil will have a dampening effect on the current surges that bleed off of the ship's power core." Vahlen explained.

Shen raised an eyebrow. Trying to add a 'soft limiter' the system's current was one of the first solutions proposed by R&D, "We already tried that two days ago."

"We tried one variant of the coil two days ago." Vahlen corrected, "I've been running some simulations in my lab, and I think I determined why our initial iteration failed earlier this week. With the error corrected, this design should work better."

"So you think we were on the right track by trying to stabilize the current inflow." Shen surmised, "I'd be interested in seeing the simulations of your new design if this test works out."

Dr. Vahlen nodded, "Of course. But I'm also not putting all of my eggs into one basket. Further examination of the first overload indicated that we may not have properly accounted for how much heat is generated while the system is powered."

"But all of the thermocouples we installed returned temperature values well within the operational range of the equipment." Shen said.

" _That's because we were looking at the wrong operational ranges!_ " Penny answered, " _The thermocouples ensured that all of the hardware was running at safe temperatures, but we didn't realize that the internal temperature was interfering with the Hyperwave Beacon's transdimensional properties._ "

Vahlen shrugged, "It's not really our fault. Since we never had this much power available to us, we have very little experience with the behavior and mechanics of an outbound portal. I just happened to notice that the anomalous readings registered by our sensors matched with the temperature profile of the thermocouples."

Dr. Shen pinched the bridge of his nose in mild frustration. The metaphysical laws of these transdimensional phenomena seemed so… whimsical, "So a better heat management system is the focus of the second test?"

His colleague nodded, "After we have completed our analysis of the inductor, test number two will focus on the addition of a Rankine cycle."

"Interesting… though I'm curious how you plan to use the output work from your heat engine."

Vahlen shrugged, "I was thinking either a charging station for Penny, or a hot plate to keep my coffee warm. Given that the Temple Ship's power plants only reach thirty percent of their maximum output during a gate event, it's not like the power from my heat cycle is desperately needed elsewhere."

Fair point. Dr. Shen let out one more sigh before he rolled up his sleeves and set to work helping Vahlen set up her test equipment.

* * *

After an afternoon of construction and verification, the Chief Scientist concluded that her tests met the desired benchmarks and greenlit their integration with the main system.. The rest of the day saw Vahlen and Shen supervising the tech crews as they installed the new designs into the Hyperwave Relay. Sadly, Bradford had to dispatch Penny (and Gidjit) a few hours prior on a Grimm operation that required their unique brand of heavy firepower. Vahlen missed having her spirits raised by Penny's optimistic and cheerful personality, she knew that international safety took priority.

"You do realize that even if we get a stabilized gate, there are plenty of safety tests that we need to perform before Bradford will even consider authorizing the first biological jump." Shen commented while fixing some evening tea for himself and his friend.

"Of course," Vahlen answered as she cut sandwich triangles with scientific precision, "But I think that having a proof-of-concept gateway will give an important morale boost for RWBY and JNPR. They've been leading the Strike teams on Grimm ops for the last few weeks, and the knowledge that we are almost ready to let them return home will help keep their spirits high."

Shen took a small sip from his cup before deciding the liquid needed to steep for a little longer, "That is true. Plus, Ruby is always happy for an excuse to see Major Durand." He sat down next to Vahlen and watched her continue with her work, "Do you really think we'll have a working portal tonight?"

"I am optimistic, but not naive." Vahlen said, putting down her knife to enjoy a brief moment of relaxing solitude with Shen, "Things are going well at the moment, but you and I both know that setbacks tend to hide in plain sight." She took a bite out of a sandwich and watched as Shen's crews continued to work, "I suppose the moment of truth will come once they finish."

"We'll get it working, Moira." Shen assured his friend, handing her a steaming cup, "You're nothing short of a miracle worker. It's been a pleasure to a part of this with you."

"Thanks, Ray." Vahlen answered, "I'm glad to have worked with you, too."

"Hey! Boss!" The two looked up at the sound of the foreman's voice, "I know you're on your dinner break and whatnot, but we're all done over here. Should I give the Major a ring and get ready to fire this baby up?"

Shen stole a quick sip from his now-perfect tea before nodding, "The sooner we can test the relay and get started on working out any new kinks, the better. Our dinner can wait. Make the call, Fitzroy."

" _No need._ " Annette's voice called over the intercom, " _I felt the change in the relay's passive draw the moment your crew finished plugging it in. Are we ready to begin?_ "

"Is anyone else still getting creeped out by Annette's omnipresence on the ship?" Shen sighed.

" _I heard that._ "

"Well, if you're all set up there," Vahlen said, steering the conversation back on course, "Then we'll start the process of feeding power into the relay."

The team carefully ran through the startup checklist before the time finally came to power on the main system. Vahlen and Shen looked at each other, shared an encouraging nod, and then the former flipped the first toggle.

"Initial power-on sequence engaged."

" _Yup, I felt the bump in power draw. It's minimal so far._ "

"That's because we haven't turned on the real energy hog yet." Shen commented as he studied the readouts on his terminal, "But Annette's right: the power draw is slightly lower this time around. Seems like a few of our other tweaks are paying off already."

Vahlen nodded in agreement, "Indeed. Let's see how well we do in the next phase."

Another toggle flipped, and the Hyperwave Relay really began humming to life. The rows of lights along the structure's central sphere shone a bright yellow hue as the machinery began to slowly rotate. On their screens, the two doctors monitored the system's vitals and noted that everything seemed stable so far.

" _Ah, there we go. The relay is starting to pull harder on my power plant._ "

It didn't escape Shen's notice that Major Durand referred to the Temple Ship's power as 'hers.' He supposed that, given the psionic nature of the ship's controls, Annette built a deeper connection with her vessel over the past few months than most pilots do over the course of a few years. He actually felt relieved when Annette suggested training up replacement pilots for emergencies, as he feared she would grow _too_ attached to the alien ship.

At the moment, however, the Chief Engineer knew he needed to focus on more important matters. The readouts on his tablet notified him of the rising current draw coming from the relay.

"We're starting to pull some serious amperage now." He remarked, "Though the rate of increase isn't alarming. Nice work with the inductor."

Vahlen, however, was too focused on the information in front of her to acknowledge the compliment. She adjusted a few knobs on the control panel, and frowned slightly when the system didn't respond with the numbers she wanted.

"Annette, are you able to throttle down the power flowing into the relay? Our modifications are working well enough to prevent a dangerous power surge, but… I think the system is going to overshoot the calculated steady-state if it continues to ramp up at this pace."

" _I should be able to, yes. Give me a moment._ "

For the briefest of moments, the entire ship shuddered. Evidently, there was more inertial resistance to change in the power flow than any of them realized. Shen noticed a few of the technicians exchange worried glances while they wordlessly asked each other the same thing: was the relay going to bring down the Temple Ship?

Of course the ship was actually grounded at the moment, but that didn't make the vibrations any less terrifying.

Annette's voice, strained from the effort of containing the Hyperwave Relay, came over the comms a few seconds later, " _How's it looking, Doctor?_ "

"… Better." Vahlen finally answered after carefully watching the changes in the readouts, "Not ideal, but I'm certain that you're doing the best you can, Annette."

The trio continued to slowly tune the second stage of the relay's activation. Annette would adjust the power input while Vahlen and Shen took notes and made changes to the system's impedance to 'trim' the output. After ten minutes this iterative process, the Chief Scientist stepped back from her console and took a deep breath. With a final look at all the digital readouts on her screen, Vahlen cracked a faint smile.

"I think this is as good as we're going to get." She said to Shen, "With the obvious exception of power draw, the rest of the parameters are very similar to when we had the relay working back at the Anthill."

Dr. Shen double-checked Vahlen's assessment before nodding, "Looks that way. Time for the final test?"

"Time for the final test." Vahlen echoed. Her hand hovered over the third toggle, and the room seemed to be holding its collective breath.

"Alright, Major. Supplying power to the gate… now."

A deep, low hum reverberated through the room. The sound's strength increased as the seconds passed, and the edge of the relay's gate took on a faint purple hue. The color came into sharper focus, and small particles began to drift from the gate's ring towards the center, as if some sort of event horizon was pulling transdimensional energy into itself.

" _Power is stable on my end. Looks like we've got something here._ " Annette confirmed, but neither doctor made a move to answer. They stood side by side, gazing at the product of their labor over the last week. No thoughts of what came next crossed their mind, no concerns about how to reproduce a stable portal on subsequent attempts… just appreciation for what they created.

Finally, Shen broke the silence, "You're right, Doctor. I think Ruby will want to hear about this."

"Yes." Vahlen agreed, her eyes still glued to the gate, "I think she will."

* * *

A/N: Well, this is it. Time to get things going again for the sequel. A good number of readers requested that I add one more chapter to RWBY Within as an announcement of sorts, so this is that chapter. The first post for the sequel will drop next Friday.

I'd also like to take a moment to talk about a few things. First is posting cadence. I'm really proud of the fact that I managed to post one chapter every Friday for the entire run of RWBY Within. That being said, it was rather draining, and I don't think I'm wiling to do that again for the new story. At the same time, every other week is a little too slow for my tastes, so I'm considering a happy medium of posting a new chapter every week and a half. If it turns out that I'm producing content faster than I anticipated, then I might return to the old schedule, but I'd like to start with something slightly more relaxed this time around.

Second is a friendly reminder about reviews. I love them. They are the lifeblood of my motivation to keep writing, whether they contain praise or criticism. I've had the pleasure of conversing with a fair number of you after responding to a review you've left, and I'm always in awe of just how many fantastic ideas can come from conversations with fans of my work. However, it's important to remember that there's a difference between constructive/helpful criticism and a laundry list of everything you find wrong with a story's writing. I'm not asking you to sugarcoat your comments because I'm a delicate little butterfly, but please remember that there is a human that is reading each and every review that gets posted. Unnecessary vitrol is counterproductive to your goal of getting me to read and appreciate your comments, so bear that in mind if/when you decide to give your thoughts about my work in a review.

That's about it, I think. See you all next week!


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